TNAG-0539-FCO40-634-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 38

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

65. The

reductions will bear most heavily, in proportional terms,

on the Royal Air Force and on locally-entered civilians.

This is

a direct result of our decision to withdraw from many of our non-

NATO commitments and the consequent reduction in the

RAF transport fleet. Elsewhere it is not possible to equate

reductions, since the forces

particular withdrawals with

concerned will in most cases be redeployed to other tasks. Future

manpower needs have been calculated against the commitments to be

met under our revised defence policy and the new force structures

required to discharge them. Service Personnel

66. Wherever possible the necessary manpower reductions will be

achieved by normal wastage and by adjustment of recruiting.

But some redundancies will be unavoidable in certain sectors of the

Services where age, rank and trade structures have to be maintained. The

terms of compensation for British Service personnel made redundant are

essentially an updating of those which applied to the redundancy

programme announced in 1967 (Cmnd. 3357) and implemented since;

they are outlined in Annex H.

67.

The need for redundancies, and the timing of them, will vary

from Service to Service, as follows:-

a Royal Navy and Royal Marines: Because of existing manpower shortages, the incidence of redundancy will be very small, probably less than 1000 United Kingdom Service personnel between 1976 and 1979. At least six months' notice will be given to those concerned. Redundancy among locally-enlisted uniformed personnel, though kept to a minimum, will be proportionally greater.

b. Army:

Restructuring will affect nearly all headquarters

and units, and triala

and

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CONET DENIT TAL, CONFIDENTIAL