CONFIDENTIAL
played a significant role in the defence of Nicosia
2ND DRAFT
airfield.
42. The Sovereign Base Areas became a haven for thousands of homeless
people of many nationaliities, for whom the Army and the Royal Air Force
and the civilian members of the SBA Administration unstintingly
provided food and shelter. 4,500 people were escorted by the Army from
Nicosia to Dhekelia. Some 13,000 service and civilian dependants and
others were evacuated under Army protection from Limassol, Larnaca and,
with Royal Naval assistance, from Famagusta. The Royal Navy rescued
1,500 people cut off in Kyrenia by the Turkish advance and saved the
survivors from a sunken Turkish destroyer. During July and August,
22,000 people, including dependants of servicemen and UK-based civi-
lians, were evacuated in 360 RAF special flights to the United Kingdom.
All these operations were executed with the highest order of efficiency
and professionalism, and earned great praise both at home and abroad.
THE NATO AREA
OPERATIONS
Command and Control
43. Improved flexibility in the use of NATO's forces results from a re-organisation of the arrangements for the command and control of all NATO air forces in the Central Region. A new headquarters, manned from the staffs of existing formations in the Central Region, is being set up and will enable SACEUR to make more efficient use of his air resources throughout the region. At the same time, RAF Strike Command's aircraft will be more effectively employed and controlled through the Command's close integration into the NATO Command structure. The Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Strike Command now holds the NATO appointment of Commander-in-Chief United Kingdom Air Forces as a Major Subordinate Commander under SACEUR. This new arrangement permits more of our United Kingdom based aircraft to be allocated to NATO and also the earlier assignment of forces in an emergency 7.
Surveillance and Interception
ul.
Royal Navy vessels and Royal Air Force Nimrod and Vulcan aircraft have continued to monitor the movements of Russian naval forces operating in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic and waters around the United Kingdom. Lightning and Phantom fighter aircraft, supported by in-flight refuelling and airborne early warning radar aircraft, have
42 CONFIDENTIAL