Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what structural reforms to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation he is seeking. [4060]

Dr Fox; Secretary of State for Defence: If NATO is to succeed as a modern security alliance, it needs the capability and flexibility to adapt to new threats, with leaner, more efficient and more effective structures. At a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers on 10-11 June, I was encouraged that progress is being made on reforming its headquarters and rationalising its agencies. But as I made clear to the Secretary-General and to colleagues, NATO's Command Structure is also a key priority: it is too big, too static and too much is not optimised for the challenges we now face. Defence Ministers will review options for a revised structure in October.