Labour defence links skilled work, NATO deterrence, and arms control

At the time, about a quarter of a million people worked in civilian defence, with another quarter of a million in defence industries such as shipbuilding, aircraft manufacture, and electronics. Trade unions named in the debate valued the opportunity to design and produce equipment for the armed services. Ernest Bevin, the post-war Labour foreign secretary and trade-union leader who helped found NATO, is the historical model for that position. In this argument, adequate forces and cooperation with allies are necessary for peace. The previous Labour government paired deterrence with support for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, negotiations on balanced conventional-force reductions in Vienna, and a comprehensive nuclear test ban. The closing passage treats defence employment and collective security as compatible with negotiated arms control within a Labour policy.