CO!
CONFIDENTIAL
TAL
ce your visit to the Ministry of Defence in August we have been
able to progress the Naval Staff Target (NST) for the replacement
of the patrol craft which form the Hong Kong Squadron to the stage
where it was endorsed by the Naval Projects Committee shortly before
Christmas. In this process the contributions and comments you and
your people made in response to our informal approaches were rost
helpful.
2. My intention in writing to you now is to let you know how we
intend to handle the project over the next few months, at the end
of which a detailed, specific Naval Staff Requirement (NSR) will
emerge. To set the scene I am attaching as an Annex a short paper
which summarises the general conclusions of the NST. You will note
that we have recommended a solution based on the provision of 5 patrol
craft, although serious consideration was given to a force comprising
a frigate and 3 patrol craft. This latter option was rejected on the
grounds that a through life cost comparison over 20 years showed such
a mixed Squadron to be more than 40% costlier than one made up of 5
patrol craft, and, of course, that experience during the past 2 years
has indicated that a Squadron comprising patrol craft only has few
operational disadvantages.
3. Director General Ships has therefore now commissioned a Craft
Study which will produce outline patrol craft options to meet the
NST. These, and comparison studies on communications and weapon
systems, should be completed and available for consideration by the
end of April. I suggest therefore that it would be appropriate for
a session of formal discussions to be held in, say, the second half
of May, between the Hong Kong Government and the Ministry of Defence,
at which we could ascertain your views, and make the necessary decisions
as to the preferred patrol craft solution, from which to tackle the NSR.
1.
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