TNAG-0179-FCO40-215-Strength-of-Hong-Kong-Garrison-1970 — Page 116

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fear, substantially less than is at present provided by detachments from Singapore of Hunters and Canberras (amounting to about one hundred days a year) although the arrangement would have the merit of including visits by the most up-to-date aircraft in RAF service;

and

its cost would be small by comparison with the alternative of permanently stationing a Hunter Squadron in the Colony.

Some

Costs can only be approximately estimated at the moment. capital outlay will in any event be needed on the Kai Tak runway and aircraft hard standings in connection with routine transport movements (e.g. roulement of the garrison) and this has been estimated at £90,000 to £100,000; the necessary provision for this expenditure has already been made in the long term costings for the Ministry of Defence budget. But the capital costs could be significantly more in order to cope with the visits of the aircraft mentioned in paragraph 3 above (in particular, for the laying of concrete ends to the runway to enable Kal Tak to withstand Phantom take-offs provisionally estim ted to be of the order of £100,000). If the need for such additional expenditure were to materialise (and this is not yet known since there are problems of technical assessment) the Ministry of Defence would not expect to have to meet

it. The recurrent costs of operating would probably be low - less than £5,000 a year on present estimates but again the Ministry of Defence do not consider that they should be expected to find these

funds.

There is also the question of what is to be done to provide fighter cover for the period between March 1970, when the Singapore Hunter Squadron is withdrawn, and the beginning of the post-1971 arrangements (operative from some time in 1972). This problem is being studied by the Ministry of Defence and I will write to you again about it.

Meanwhile, we should be grateful for your views on the proposition outlined above on the assumption that any extra capital costs, together with the recurrent costs, would need to be met by Hong Kong. Although the arrangement envisages a fighter presence in the Colony of no more than twenty days a year, you may consider that this would be sufficient to meet your requirements having regard to the financial constraints involved. If the idea proved acceptable to

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/ you ...