SECRET
UK EYES ONLY
ANNEX A to COS 23/68
Concluded
battalions, and for the stockpiled armoured squadron.
f.
There is no military justification for the permanent station-
Should the situation change, ing of fighter aircraft in Hong Kong.
How-
the Phantom aircraft from our general capability, which will periodically train in the Colony, could be deployed there. ever, if political considerations are to be considered overriding and if costs are met from outside the Defence budget, a small force of Hunter aircraft could not be provided until the mid-1970s.
The Hong Kong Garrison by the end of 1971 should be: (1) Royal Navy
Two Frigates
g.
h.
(2) Army
(3) Royal Air Force
Five Mine Counter Measure Vessels One small tanker
HMS TAMAR, with small increase in
complement.
Six infantry battalions
One light regiment, Royal Artillery One armoured car squadron
One field squadron, Royal Engineers
Six Whirlwind helicopters
Element of Royal Air Force Regiment
squadron
Royal Air Force Kai Tak staging post Signal and radar facilities.
The costs of our proposals, above the present permanent garrison, will be about £3.3 million in annual budgetary terms, of which £0.5 million is in addition to the provision made in the calculations for long term costings for 1972/73 force levels (the "Four Day Costing Exercise"). The extra foreign exchange cost would be about £1.4 million.
These figures do not include the costs of the three additional Mine Counter Measure Vessels or any Hunter aircraft, which should be met from outside the defence budget, nor do they take into account the fact that some of the units concerned are not provided exclusively for the Hong Kong
task.
j. Our withdrawal by 1971 from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, the concentration of the Gurkhas in Hong Kong and the re-establish- ment of a resident naval and air presence offer an opportunity to review the command organisation in the Colony for the period
after 1971.
Appendix: 1 Costs (1 page).
SECRET
A
14
UK EYES ONLY
Page 60Page 61