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ANNEX A TO DOP 4/68 (Final)
(Continued)
1st April 1969 force declarations would be limited to those naval, amphibious, and air forces in the theatre which could be made available without detriment to the rundown. No forces in Far East Command could be declared to SEATO after 30th September 1971.
7. From April 1968 SEATO stucks would be rundown, and by April 1969 no stocks would be held specifically for SEATO, except those required for V-bombers. V-bomber support would be maintained until April 1970; thereafter training detachments or reinforcement of these aircraft would have to be on a self- supporting basis.
National Contingency Plans
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At all stages of the rundown a capability would be retained to protect our remaining forces, dependants and facilities in an IS situation, and also to ensure the maintenance of essential services, if necessary with reinforcements. The plan assumes that CINCFE would be permitted to determine the date(s) after which it would be necessary to deploy forces from the United Kingdom to Far East Comm..nd to meet national commitments.
No further assistance could be provided by Far East Command for national contingency plans after September 1971.
Commonwealth Brigade
9.
United Kingdom support to 28th Commonwealth Brigade and Terendak Garrison would be withdrawn by 1st April 1970.
Air Defence
10.
HM Government have agreed to give maximum assistance to the Singapore and Malaysian Governments, with possible Australian and New Zealand participation, in establishing an air defence system for the area. The rundown of the present air defence system cannot be planned until the outcome to these negotiations is known. It would be unlikely that overall responsibility for air defence could be relinquished before final withdrawal.
Dockyard
11.
The plan stresses that the dockyard should be commercialised as soon as possible. The option of commercialisation, however, should for political reasons be retained until mid-1971, by keeping in being a labour force of about 3,500 and by providing them with a suitable load of ship repair work. Should the dockyard not be turned over to a commercial concern or the Singapore Government, it would close down in the last nine months of 1971 and the Fleet would then be entirely dependent on afloat support for repairs and maintenance. However, adequate facilities would still have to be retained in the Naval Base to support our naval forces until the withdrawal from Singapore and the Gulf had been completed; this would mean that a very rapid rundown of LEC and LEPS in 1971 would be unavoidable.
Gurkhas
12.
The plan takes account of the rate of rundown of the Garkhas to a force level of 6,000 by December 1971, the need for continued support from Malaysia/Singapore for the Brigade of Gurkhas and the administration of the British Gurkhas' Line of Communications until late 1971.
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