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POLITICO/MILITARY AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS
OF FAR EAST FORCE REDUCTIONS
Report by the Official Committee
The attached report by the Defence Review Working Party sets out, so far as the information at present available permits, the politico/
military and economic implications of the conclusion of the Defence
and Oversea Policy Committee that we should seek to reduce our forces in Singapore/Malaysia by about half by 1970-71, with total withdrawal
not later than 1975-76 with a possible military presence in the Far East
outside Hong Kong limited to small maritime and air forces using
facilities in Australia. The report, which is summarised in paragraphs 65-75, shows that much of the information necessary to a final decision in June/July will only become available after some consultation
with our allies. Details of the military consequences, both at home
in terms of the rate and manner of the rundown and of the eventual size
of the forces and overseas, including a maritime and air presence that we
might maintain in the longer term in the Far East, will need to be worked out.
The latter cannot be sensibly determined until there have been close
investigations both on the spot and with the other Governments concerned. At some stage in the course of these discussions we should have to make
plain that our force declarations to SEATO would have to be drastically modified as would our military support for Malaysia and Singapore. We should also need to discuss the future of the Commonwealth Brigade (which is likely to cause special difficulty) and the forces which Australia and New Zealand might wish to see us base in Australia.
As a result of these discussions it will become possible to decide the force levels and facilities that will be required in the United Kingdom and to work out the large scale re-deployment and re-organisation for
the Services that the new policy will involve. The amount, nature,
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