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b. Earmarking of RFA ENGADINE for assignment to
CINCHAN.
C. Earmarking of aircraft for SACLANT in the visual
d.
•
reconnaissance role.
Occasional participation in naval exercises and
also in the NATO Naval On-Call Force in the
Mediterranean.
e.
Reintroduction of Special Air Services Regiment
reinforcement options in the Southern Region.
The total cost to the IK of all five or these measures would be
minimal, i.e. well under £1 million a year; this we would have to
absorb within the approved totals. The political benefits are
out of all proportion to the cost.
11. We should also endorse NATO's hope that compensation for our
reductions would ultimately be forthcoming through increased
cooperation within NATO by means of rationalisation, specialisation
and standardisation; through further exploitation of cooperative
equipment programmes in NATO; and through the reallocation of
resources from overheads and support units to combat capabilities.
12. There are certain other measures which we could offer to NATO
for detailed examination on the strict understanding that they
could only be put into operation if they could be accomplished
without significant peacetime cost for the United Kingdom. These
measures would be:-
a.
Provision of a further two Royal Marine Commandos
for the Northern Region and Island Commands in
the Atlantic.
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