TNAG-2239-FCO40-3218-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Royal-Navy-presence-1991 — Page 13

CONFIDENTIAL

22. The MOD had hoped to announce the scrapping

of HMS Endurance on 24 June (in spite of an

earlier decision that it would continue until 1995

and be replaced), but the Prime Minister

intervened to say that the potential political

cost outweighed the financial cost of maintaining

her in service. The MOD have since reported that

a technical report on HMS Endurance has revealed

structural problems which would make it vulnerable

in ice conditions and that it should not be

deployed in the Antarctic this year.

CONCLUSION

Some

23.

It is clear that our deployments out of area,

for the most part, arise from inescapable

commitments and requirements. These relate

principally to the defence of our Dependent

Territories in several of which we have a

particularly strong foreign policy interest.

have argued in the past that Britain can no longer

afford to maintain all its out-of-area commitments

and should tailor them or withdraw completely.

But as Annex B shows, our overseas defence

commitments are not expensive. Apart from the

garrison in the Falkland Islands the cost of

which is falling the sums involved are very

small in proportion to the benefits they bring.

24. We must, of course, be realistic about what

in political, military and ecomic terms - we can

afford to do. And we must aim to use our defense

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CONFIDENTIAL.