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Lessons of Granby: Not fully addressed becuase the full report
is still being discussed within MOD. But the message came through consistently from the reports on logistics, communications and medical that we were only just able to scrape together what was
required for Granby, with a lot of help from the Americans. General dismay that the support area was to be cut by a further 20% in the
PROSPECT exercise.
Out of Area Command and Control: The CINCs were all keen to
lock in one lesson of Granby, by pressing for agrement on a permanent 4 star Commander and HQ for 00A operations. They commissioned a UKCICC study designed to set out the requirement,
be ready for the CICC in November. I explained briefly our/MOD's
thinking on the ERF, which seemed to be news to them.
to
Gibraltar: I was surprised to learn that plans are at an
advanced stage for a Tri-Service UK national exercise (PURPLE
MONARCH) based on Gibraltar in 1992. Although billed as a Command
Post exercise, this apparently involves an amphibious landing involving 500 marines. SED may already be involved, but at first blush it sounds potentially very difficult with the Spaniards, at a time when we may still be negotiating the Straits of Gibraltar Co-ordinating Agreement with them. Surely they will see this as an
exercise to reinforce Gibraltar whatever the ostensible scenario,
and will regard it as provocative? On advice from the Sec (0) (C)
man, I held my peace at UKCICC - he suggested FCO/MOD consultations
would be more fruitful. Mr Pearey may wish to comment.
Future of CINCHAN : Over lunch I had a long talk with the
principal Staff Officer to CINCHAN. He said that CINCHAN takes a realistic view of the future of his Command: he recognised that the
rationale for CINCHAN as an MNC had always been political rather
than military (ie to have one European MNC); that a decision would
therefore have to be taken on political grounds; and that the main
thing was that the resulting arrangements should make military
sense.
His preferred arrangement was of course to hang on to CINCHAN.
PR3ACT
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