SECRET UK EYES A
adjustments to the composition of the BFFI Headquarters staff.
The balance is now thought to be correct. The future of the
military presence in South Georgia remains the subject of
debate. On Ascension Island the only change has been the
removal of the AAR Hercules aircraft.
68. New ROE for the South Atlantic were introduced in
September. These dispensed with the rather inflexible criterion
of geographical location, and introduced the need to establish
hostile intent on the part of Argentine vessels and aircraft.
These changes now give commanders clearer guidance and are more attuned to the climate of rapprochement.
69. Hong Kong. The first revision of the Hong Kong Withdrawal Plan was carried out and published in early June (1). No major changes were made to the original plan and it foresaw the run down of the Garrison continuing as previously envisaged. The paper was issued only days before the events in Tiananmen Square. The response of the Chinese Government and the People's
Liberation Army shocked the world and no more so than in Hong Kong where confidence in the arrangements post 1997 plummeted. This has inevitably caused attention to be refocussed on the withdrawal and the force levels remaining in Hong Kong up to 1997. Whilst there is no change to the external threat to Hong Kong perceptions have changed. The Withdrawal Plan is event- driven rather than time based but there is a consensus forming that the Plan, originally scheduled for a further review in
October 1991 might need earlier attention. Not linked to the
happenings of 4 June, the future RN presence in Hong Kong has been examined closely during the year and a study into the
minimum presence required to maintain an effective presence for
political reasons was carried out by the Naval Staff. Further
work is underway to determine the way ahead and a final decision
is expected to be agreed by the Hong Kong Steering Committee in January 1990. The view from CBF Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Government is that a presence post 1992 is required and that it should be based on the retention of the existing 3 purpose built Hong Kong Patrol Craft. Finally, the continued arrival of the
1CDS 13/89
SECRET UK EYES A
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