JAVILI VA AD A
1974 DEFENCE REVIEW
THE MILITARY IMPLICATIONS AND COSTS
OF RETAINING FOR POLITICAL REASONS
CERTAIN OVERSEAS COMMITMENTS
Introduction
(Note by the Ministry of Defence).
1. From the defence point of view and in the terms of the priorities endorsed by Ministers at their OPD (74) 3rd Meeting, the Chiefs of Staff have stated that, given the resources likely to be available for defence purposes, all non-NATO commitments
should be abandoned as soon as possible. The Critical Level
of forces they have proposed to maintain the essential UK
contribution to the NATO Alliance and for the security of the United Kingdom makes no provision for any units to be deployed
in the Mediterranean or outside the NATO area.
2. In Annex J of the DSWP Draft Final Report the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have identified some commitments involving
the deployment of forces outside the key areas of NATO which an their view there are strong political reasons for retaining.
The purpose of this paper is to establish in broad terms the
minimum military forces, additional to the Critical Level,
needed to meet these commitments, together with the military
implications of so doing, and to indicate the general order of additional costs involved. Further detailed studies, eg of
Page 1 of 15 pages
SECRET UK EYES A