COLONIAL SECRETARY
MINISTER
OF
DEFENCE
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Page 270 of apo
SECEIVED
EVATE OFFICE 2 JAN 1958
1.
I enclose a draft Defence Committee paper on Armed Forces in Hong Kong. In the normal way I would have circulated it for discussion by the Defence Committee, but the Secretary of State for War would like to have a decision on the Army garrison before he leaves for Hong Kong next Tuesday, and there is no possibility of a Defence Committee before then.
2.
My proposals for the deployment of the Royal Navy in Hong Kong waters have already been approved in principle by the Defence Committee, and Perth has agreed on your behalf to the arrangement for maintaining a flight of 3 Venoms in Hong Kong.
3. On the question of the Army garrison, I am quite satisfied that the additional cost of stationing two more Artillery regiments in Hong Kong cannot be borne on the Defence budget, which is still not down to the level the Chancellor would like to see, in spite of the most thorough pruning.
4. I should be most grateful if you could give your agreement to the proposals contained in the enclosed paper.
5. I am sending copies of this minute to the other members of the Defence Committee.
1st January, 1958.
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ARMED FORCES IN HONG KONG
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7890
1.
At the meeting on the Defence programme held on May 30th, 1957 the following decisions were taken:-
2.
(a) Discussions of the proposal to retain a small
naval force at Hong Kong should be resumed when the plan for the future deployment of the Royal Navy as a whole was available;
(b)
(c)
The Army garrison of Hong Kong should be limited in principle to six units, but consideration should be given to the temporary stationing in the colony of two additional artillery regiments, provided that the Hong Kong Government made a satisfactory financial contribution;
The Royal Air Force squadron should be withdrawn from Hong Kong, but consideration should be given to stationing two aircraft on the civil airport.
Since that meeting I have myself visited Hong Kong and Singapore and discussed these questions with the Governor and the Commanders-in-Chief. I set out below the conclusions
I have reached.
The Royal Navy
3.
I am satisfied that we must maintain a frigate in Hong Kong waters to protect British shipping along the China coast, and six patrol vessels (minesweepers) for local police duties.
The Army
4. The Army garrison in Hong Kong has up till recently comprised nine major units. In face of the reduction in the size of the Army, the Chiefs of Staff have, with some hesitation, accepted that the garrison should be reduced to six units, which they consider to be the absolute minimum necessary to maintain internal security and to provide some limited defence on the Chinese frontier.
5. The Governor has urged that, to mitigate the effect of the reduction to six units, two artillery regiments which are due eventually to be stationed in Malaya, but for which no accommodation will be available there for some years, should be left in Hong Kong for the time being, in addition to the six units of the permanent garrison.
6.
I think this is a good suggestion and one which would help us to hold the position for the next few years, during which it is intended to strengthen the police.
7. However, the cost of maintaining these regiments in Hong Kong would be some £250,000 each per year more than the cost of maintaining them in Britain, where they would otherwise be stationed until their accommodation in Malaya becomes available. In addition, capital expenditure of Page 2702100,000 will be necessary on accommodation for them Page 271 of 283
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