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have been applied in anticipation of the amalgamation and rundown, and, as
a consequence, Gurkha units are undermanned.
Brigade Deployment
3. Apart from the Brunei battalion, there is a commitment in the Hong Kong
DCA to maintain a force of 3 Gurkha battalions in Hong Kong for the tenure
of the Agreement (which runs to 1983) and, in the supporting documents to
the Agreement, the detailed force levels in Hong Kong include the peculiarly
precise figure of 4904 Gurkhas (including Engineers, Signals and Transport,
and training and support elements).
4. It has also been our practice since 1970 to keep a Gurkha infantry
battalion in the United Kingdom. This serves two distinct purposes. We
have always regarded the Brigade as an integral part of the British Army which
we would wish to continue to be able to deploy operationally, wherever the
need arose, with other units of the three Services. At the same time
the Brigade has been predominantly employed in the Far East, and has a special
expertise in the Hong Kong internal security task. Neither we, nor the
Nepalese Government, would wish the Brigade to be regarded as dedicated
solely to the Hong Kong task. However, the reduction in the British military
presence East of Suez has meant that there are few opportunities for units
stationed there to gain or retain the experience of operating with other
arms, which is essential if units are to retain their military usefulness.
The last armour and artillery elements were withdrawn from Hong Kong in 1976
as a consequence of the Defence Costs Agreement. It is therefore essential
that the Gurkhas serve outside the Far East in order to have these opportunities
and to retain the military viability of the Brigade as a whole.
It is clearly
in HMG's interest that the Brigade of Gurkhas remains in being, undertaking its
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