SECRET UK BILS
useful military tasks in their support. It will be
extremely difficult to meet these requirements and to
make substantial savings in men and money. There are
several particular constraints which compound this
problem. As one example, forces stationed in Cyprus
cannot, for political reasons, be declared to NATO.
As another, for so long as UK Servicemen are retained
in Cyprus it would be imprudent not to keep an
operational airfield for their support.
b. To decide exactly which of the many options
available to meet these requirements should be
selected will require detailed study. The necessary
minimum requirement world be a garrison of a battalion
and one armoured car squadron, the retention of some
intelligence and communication facilities and the
retention of Akrotiri as an operational airfield
including the capability to operate aircraft deployed
from the UK. In advance of a detailed study, broad
target figures might be:
Servicemen
Numbers in 1976
Civilians
Savings foregone (M) 1978/79 1983/84
Arny
13 major units
Intelligence
and general
support
facilities, HQ
2,200
2,500
10
10
16
16
RAP
209
12
12
10007
[0]
[10]
Airfield,
Intelligence,
communications,
and SBA Admin-
istration.
2,400 25007
9
SECRET UK EYES A
·➢***