TNAG-0252-FCO40-288-Strength-of-Hong-Kong-garrison-1970 — Page 53

SECRET

ENCLOSURE 1 TO COS 1578/22/9/70 (Concluded)

9. Costs. The Defence Budget Targets exercise included the costs of a 5 battalion Gurkha force, all based in the Far East. The deployment of one of these 5 battalions to the UK would add about £1.4m a year to these costs.

CONCLUSIONS

10. In the light of the above it is concluded that:

a.

subject to final discussions by Ministers on HMG's policy East of Suez, there is a prospective requirement for about 57 infantry battalions.

b. the decision to retain representative companies formed from those units due for reduction in Phase II of the Army rundown does not increase the total number of British battalions (46) available for duty.

C.

the retention of the Brigade of Gurkhas organised on a 5 battalion basis with 3 deployed in Hong Kong, one in Brunei and one in the United Kingdom will go some way towards bridging this gap.

â. the planning assumption in the current Defence expenditure studies should be amended to reflect the deployment in c. above and the costs at paragraph 9.

RECOMMENDATION

The Chiefs of Staff are invited to agree these conclusions in principle subject to a final decision when the size of the Defence Budget is settled.

11.

SECRET