Mr Smith, NPDD
CONFIDENTIAL
Out of Area Defence Commitments
As you know, the Secretary of State recently minuted Mr King about the future of HMS Endurance. Separately, the two Ministers are corresponding about the future of the Royal Naval presence in Hong Kong.
At a meeting this week with the Governor of Hong Kong, the Secretary of State affirmed what he had already said to Mr King that he wanted to look at all of our out-of-area defence commitments as a package. Those that come to mind
are:
HMS Endurance
the West Indies Guardship the garrison in Belize
Hong Kong patrol craft
- the Hong Kong garrison
Gurkhas (particularly in Brunei)
But there may be others.
I think that the Secretary of State would welcome quite soon a paper dealing with these commitments, with
recommendations on our priorities and how best to secure an acceptable package from the Ministry of Defence at a time of radical cuts.
Could we please have something in time for the Secretary of State's return from South Africa on 11 July?
28 June 1991
CC: PS
PS/Mr Hogg
PS/Mr Garel-Jones PS/Mr Lennox-Boyd PS/PUS
Mr Fairweather
Sir J Coles
Mr Broomfield Mr Goulden
L, Gass)
Mr Bearish
Mr Burns
Heads of: WIAD
LAD
SAAD
SEAD
HKD
FIDEN
CONFIDENTIAL