CONFIDENT IAL
Defence
Hong Kong cannot be defended against a determined Chinese
attack, except perhaps by the use of nuclear weapons. There are
no plans for the reinforcement of Hong Kong against external
aggression, and the external role of the garrison is to identify
aggression. Local opinion, while probably under no illusion about
the ability of the present garrison to resist for long, regards the
existence of British troops deployed to guard the frontier as an
assurance of our intention to maintain our position in the Colony.
The present garrison in the Colony consists of 63 major Army
units and three coastal minesweepers. Fighter air cover is
provided from Singapore. Her Majesty's Government's decision to
withdraw their forces from Singapore and Malaysia by the end of
1971 will mean that it will thereafter not be possible to reinforce
the Hong Kong garrison from those sources in time of need. This
situation will entail keeping a higher leve. cf forces in the
Colony itself.
CONFIDENTIAL
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