TNAG-0477-FCO40-542-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 147

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2.

our standing in the Alliance, and for its cohesion, would be seriously increased most seriously at the Second and Fourth

Levels.

6.

Paragraph 11

Replace the last four words by the following: "provision of balanced Alliance forces to sustain NATO's strategy".

7.

i)

Paragraph 13

Amend the first sentence to read "our forces are smaller in proportion to population than those of our main European

Allies

ii)

...

Amend the third sentence to read: "Under the Revised Brussels Treaty of 1954 we are obliged to maintain on the European mainland four divisions (the Council agreed in 1958 that the level should be 55,000 men), together with the Second Tactical Air force, or such other forces

iii)

...

In sub-paragraph (c) add the following additional phrase

at the end of the second sentence:

...

and Channel."

iv)

Forces.

and to NATO's standing naval forces in the Atlantic ›

Amend sub-paragraph (e)(iii) to read:

"British contribution to Allied Command Europe Mobile

We contribute a battalion group and supporting aircraft to this politically and militarily important multi-national force." This sub-paragraph might be better placed as the first of the

four.

v)

The beginning of the last sentence of the paragraph should be amended to read:

6.

"On present plans, these forces based ...".

Paragraph 14

Amend to read as follows:

"Our position in Cyprus is important to the cohesion of NATO's Southern Flank. However for political reasons the Strike Squadrons based there cannot be formally committed to NATO, though they are targetted by SACEUR and also committed to CENTO"

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17.