(DEFENCE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE)
4 February, 1975.]
Mr. A. P. HOCKADAY, C.B., C.M.G., Mr. T. CULLEN, Mr. D. M. Evans, Mr. G. C. B. Dodds, and Rear Admiral A. S. MORTON.
hood of a threat to our access to that particular facility?The future of that installation, as with the rest of what we have in Cyprus, would be something that we would assess in the longer term in the light of the situation, depending upon what we judged to be our continuing requirement for it.
54. The situation you referred to in
[Continued.
39
of ultimately withdrawing from Gibral- tar? From the strictly military point of view we would not regard the forces that we have in Gibraltar as part of the first priority capabilites of the kind that the review is designed to retain, The decision to retain forces
* * *
in Gibraltar for the foreseeable future is linked with a judgment that so
that answer is not the current political long as the Spanish Government main-
situation in Cyprus but the general longer-term situation in the Eastern Mediterranean? -Yes.
Dr. Miller.
55. A question on a slightly different tack: would you care to give us an opinion as to how much and how far withdrawals from Cyprus, from Hong- kong and from Singapore, for example, might affect the level of recruitment to the services, in that we know there is an attraction in recuitment as long as men and women can feel that they have a slightly more glamorous aspect of the service to aspire to? Do you think it will have a serious effect? It is possible that it may have some effect and obviously it would not be appro- priate to put up recruiting posters say- ing Come and see the world" in the same sort of way. It is very difficult to judge what effect it will have. But I think it is up to us to face up to this challenge and to seek to orientate our recruiting effort on to what our defence policy will be about when these changes have been completed.
66
Chairman.
Is
56. How far have your discussions got with regard to the amount for main- taining our forces which we are seeking from the Hongkong Government? there any indication that we will with- draw some troops if they do not pay a certain amount? Is there actual bar- gaining going on?- This is still at a very early stage. We have not yet entered into anything that could be called negotiation with Hongkong al- though our officials have had some pre- liminary discussions with officials of the Hongkong Government.
Mr. Sandelson.
57. From the military viewpoint, what view is taken in regard to the possibility
tains some kind of claim or request to acquire sovereignty over Gibraltar, we judge that as a political measure to demonstrate to the people of Gibraltar the determination of H.M. Government that their wishes will be respected, so long as that is the case, the retention of military forces there is a demonstration of that will.
58. It has no military significance beyond the assertion of British rights over Gibraltar and protection of the British community in Gibraltar?—It has slightly more than a purely political connotation in the sense that the reten- tion of forces anywhere is a manifesta- tion of government policy, and it is something of which account has to be taken. In terms of NATO strategy,
*
*
*
Chairman
59. Really what you are saying-and what I think we know is that Gibraltar has now become almost a Foreign Office and political question rather than a ques- tion of defence?- -Yes.
Mr. Roper.
60. Could I pursue that with respect to one matter? *
* Presumably, if Gibraltar were to go as well, there would then be no Nimrods, would there, based in the Western Mediterranean? Does that have any serious effect so far as our contribution to anti-submarine warfare in that area is concerned?- (Rear Admiral Morton.) We would plan withdrawal of the Nimrods from Malta on the termination of the agreement to the United Kingdom in any case and we would not intend to keep them in service after that withdrawal.
61. I think I am right in saying at the moment there are some Nimrods if not permanently stationed in Gibraltar at least operating from time to time from
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.