SECRET
031700
MDHIAN 0177
8. OUR ONLY COMMENT ON THE DRAFT PAPER IN SECOND TUR IS TO SUGGEST THAT THE LAST FOUR SENTENCES OF PARA 5(B) SHOULD BE REPLACED BY THE FOLLOWING:
''THE HKG PROGRAMME TO EXPAND THE MARINE POLICE IS NEAR
COMPLETION. PROBLEMS WITH MAINTENANCE SUPPORT THAT ARE AFFECTING OPERATIONS ARE BEING ADDRESSED. FINANCIAL APPROVAL HAS NOW BEEN GIVEN TO THE EXPANSION OF THE HKG FLYING SERVICES DEPARTMENT. ADDITIONAL HKG HELICOPTERS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM 1990. ALTHOUGH THIS IS LATER THAN THE 1989 DATE EXTIMATED IN THE ORIGINAL PLAN, SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PRESENT FORCE OF WESSEX AND SCOUT HELICOPTERS CAN STILL BE ACHIEVED IN 1989 AS PLANNED BY WITHDRAWING SOME CREWS BUT LEAVING THEIR HELICOPTERS IN HONG KONG FOR USE AS RESERVES.
9. IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THIS AMENDMENT, WE WILL PUT THE PAPER TO EXCO WITH A SHORT COVERING MEMORANDUM OF OUR OWN. MOST MEMBERS OF
THE PRESENT EXCO WERE NOT PRESENT WHEN THIS SUBJECT WAS DISCUSSED IN 1986/87, AS WE HAVE DONE RECENTLY WITH MILITARY LAND, WE THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO REMIND MEMBERS IN SOME DETAIL OF THE BACKGROUND AND THE REASONS FOR THE DECISIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN.
10. WE ALSO PLAN TO MAKE REFERENCE TO THE REVIEW OF THE GARRISON CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS CON WHICH I AM WRITING TO MCLAREN), THE RESULTS OF WHICH WE EXPECT TO TAKE TO EXCO BY APRIL. THE SUBJECT
ARE CLOSELY RELATED. THE CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS PAPER RAISES POINTS
THAT MAY AFFECT THINKING ABOUT THE TIMING OF WITHDRAWAL OF THE PENULTIMATE BATTALION AND THE RN. IT WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE TO PRESENT THE MOD PAPER IN ISOLATION, AND THEN PUT UP THE CONCEPT PAPER, UNHERALDED, A FEW WEEKS LATER.
11. ONE POINT THAT YOU WILL NOTE IN THE CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS
PAPER IS THAT I NOW SEE MERIT IN RETAINING THE THIRD BATTALION UNTIL
VERY SHORTLY BEFORE 1997. I DO NOT THINK WE NEED RAISE THIS HERE WITH EXCO NOW, BUT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT MY INTERPRETATION OF THE TERM ''PRE-1997'' IN PARA 4CIV) OF THE DRAFT PAPER IN SECOND TUR IS RATHER DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE USED IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS. IF THIS CAUSES ANY DIFFICULTIES FOR MOD, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF I COULD BE AWARE OF THEM SO THAT THEY CAN BE DISCUSSED EARLIER RATHER THAN LATER.
WILSON
PAGE
SECRET
3
Page 45Page 46
YYYY
MAIN
15
LIMITED
HKD
NNNN
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.