TNAG-0538-FCO40-633-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 36

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b. Earmarking of RFA ENGADINE for assignment to

CINCHAN.

C. Earmarking of aircraft for SACLANT in the visual

d.

•

reconnaissance role.

Occasional participation in naval exercises and

also in the NATO Naval On-Call Force in the

Mediterranean.

e.

Reintroduction of Special Air Services Regiment

reinforcement options in the Southern Region.

The total cost to the IK of all five or these measures would be

minimal, i.e. well under £1 million a year; this we would have to

absorb within the approved totals. The political benefits are

out of all proportion to the cost.

11. We should also endorse NATO's hope that compensation for our

reductions would ultimately be forthcoming through increased

cooperation within NATO by means of rationalisation, specialisation

and standardisation; through further exploitation of cooperative

equipment programmes in NATO; and through the reallocation of

resources from overheads and support units to combat capabilities.

12. There are certain other measures which we could offer to NATO

for detailed examination on the strict understanding that they

could only be put into operation if they could be accomplished

without significant peacetime cost for the United Kingdom. These

measures would be:-

a.

Provision of a further two Royal Marine Commandos

for the Northern Region and Island Commands in

the Atlantic.

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