(DEFENCE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE)
February, 1975.] Mr. A. P. HOCKADAY, C.B., C.M.G.,
[Continued.
Rear Admiral A. S. MORTON, Mr. T. CULLEN, Mr. D. M. EVANS, Mr. G. C. B. DODDS, Mr. A. R. M. JAFFRAY, Mr. J. D. BRYARS and Mr. T. C. G. JAMES, C.M.G.
implications of that for NATO's deterrent posture and for the political cohesion of the alliance are such as I would myself hesitate to contemplate.
222. We would not, for example, be able to maintain our Brussels Treaty obligations?—No, Sir.
223. Thank you very much. I do not know whether you would like to give us a fuller note on any of the points you have just made, or whether you think that covers it?- -If the Committee
wishes we could give a considerably fuller note.
Mr. Finsberg.] It would be helpful.
Mr. Roper.
224. One further question on an item in paragraph 5 on page 17 of the Public Expenditure White Paper. There is a reference to additional service man- power. How does this relate to the cuts in manpower proposed in the review?
(Mr. Evans.) The arrangement until the Defence Review took place was that if recruiting improved beyond the amount allowed for in the previous Public Expenditure White Paper we would be allowed additional money to cover that extra manpower. This does not affect the Defence Review because we are now in a position where we are working on the long term costing which took into account all these adjustments of manpower.
Mr. Finsberg.
225. With the figures of reductions in the three services do you envisage re- cruiting campaigns being carried on in the next three or four years?- -(Mr. Hockaday.) There will be no question of stopping recruitment because in order to keep the right kind of balance of ages and trades, and so on, we shall need to have a number of young people coming in at the same time as we have got rather larger numbers of older people coming out. As to the thrust of our recruiting campaign, obviously in some respects it will change. I think we touched on this point last week. We will no longer be able to include as one of the attractions of service in the armed forces the fact that you see the world
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and are liable to be stationed in a num- ber of glamorous places. But even in that respect, at any rate as far as the Royal Navy and to some extent the Royal Air Force is concerned, we do envisage that visits to countries outside the NATO area will continue. But so far as the main thrust of our recruiting is concerned, clearly we shall have to concentrate on the message of the con- tribution that the armed forces make to the security of this country through the alliance, the message that our security depends upon deterrence, and deterrence of political as much as mili- tary aggression, and the message of the challenge that a highly professional and efficient service concentrated towards this deterrent policy presents. We hope this will attract the young man of really good quality whom we intend to attract.
Chairman.
226. When I asked you about the MRCA I said what advance if any had the Minister had in his talks with our allies. Is there anything you could say to us about the talks the Minister has had generally on the cuts?-In general our allies both inside and outside NATO have understood the reasons underlying the review and have appre- ciated why the Government has had to make these proposals. Naturally they have in most cases regretted that we have had to make proposals of this kind. Inside NATO the comments that we have received have related particularly to
* The allies have asked us if we can reconsider our proposals to see whether *
*They have, of course, appreciated the fact that NATO remains our first priority, but nevertheless they have regretted * Outside NATO generally speaking our partners have accepted the proposals although in some cases dis- cussions will continue about the timing of their implementation, and in the case of Hong Kong there will be considerable further discussions regarding both the exact form of the future garrison and the apportionment of its costs.
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Chairman.
227. I would like to thank you and your colleagues for these two days. It has given us a lot of enlightenment on