TNAG-2240-FCO40-3219-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Royal-Navy-presence-1991 — Page 164

CONFIDENTIAL

DRAFT FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO:

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE

Out of Area Defence Commitments

In my minutes of 18 June and 4 July about HMS

Endurance and the Hong Kong Patrol Craft respectively, I

said that I wished to take stock of these issues in the

wider context of our other out of area responsibilities,

especially the defence of our Dependent Territories as a

whole.

-

of

Our

Our deployments, for the most part, derive from inescapable commitments and requirements and relate

primarily to the security in its broader sense remaining Dependent Territories. These commitments are virtually untouched by the change in East West relations and the diminished threat in Europe

as you noted in

There is no defence or

your press conference on 9 July. foreign policy reason, as far as I am aware, for making any significant change out of area in the Options for

Chance review.

I am particularly concerned therefore about your proposals to make changes in how we discharge our two most important commitments: the South Atlantic and Hong

Kong.

VR9ADK

CONFIDENTIAL