SECREW DRAFT
NON-NATO COMMITMENTS
ANNEX A to OPD (75)________
1. The Defence Review established that our non-NATO commitments
have the lowest priority in strictly military terms and the
Defence Secretary's statement on 3 December proposed a
substantial measure of contraction in our commitments ond
stationed forces outside the Alliance; particular attention
was drawn to the 1968 docisions of the former Labour Administration
to rundown our forces East of Suoz. The Government and Allios
affected by our proposals were informed of them slightly boforo
the Parliamentary Statement and invited to make thoir further views
known before HMG reached final decisions. In general tho news
has been received with little surprise and apparently sympathotic
understanding of the problems which led to HMG's proposals.
A co-ordinated plan for withdrawal from Singapore, Gan, Mauritius
and the West Indies by 1 April 1976 is now being prepared. Reactions and the
present state of consultations are described below.
Far East
2.
Hong Kong. Ministers decided on 9th September (OPD(74)
14th Meeting Item 3) that the Hong Kong Government should be asked
to contribute not less than three quarters of the cost of the
smaller garrison. The discussions between officials and tho
Governor in January indicated that they are unlikely to agroe
to do so and the issues have been put to Ministers separately
(OPD (75) ).
3. FPDA. The decisions to retain the consultative commitment and lose military links and not to withdraw precipitately have been welcomed. But Mr Rowling has asked for the completion of withdrawal to be delayed until the end of 1976 rather than April of that year to ease New Zealand's logistic support problems. We expect to reach a compromise of providing a small amount of assistance until the end of 1976 without a major change to tho
withdrawal timetable. We cannot, howover, continue to provido
a detachment of Nimrod aircraft to which Malaysia, Australia
1
AFGRED