ENG-1984 — Page 295

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THE ARMED SERVICES AND AUXILIARY SERVICES

Regiment, 660 Squadron Army Air Corps, the Composite Ordnance Depot, the British Military Hospital and 50 Hong Kong Workshops, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

Hong Kong people play an important role through their support of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) -- a locally enlisted regiment of part-time soldiers – and the Hong Kong Military Service Corps, which is also locally enlisted but forms part of the British Army. The latter corps is staffed by full-time regular soldiers and numbers 1 252 Chinese officers and men who serve throughout Hong Kong as guards, military policemen, interpreters, dog-handlers, drivers, cooks, clerks, seamen and storemen. The Hong Kong Military Service Corps provides a valuable contribution to the garrison and has played an important role in operations against illegal immigrants.

The primary role of the Army is to support the Royal Hong Kong Police Force in maintaining internal security; it is also responsible for preserving the integrity of the border. In recent years, its major task has been to help with the control of illegal immigration, with individual battalions spending an average of three months a year on border duties. A high level of border vigilance was maintained throughout the year. Improvements to border security are constantly being made and anti-illegal immigration operations continue to play a major part in the daily life of the Army.

With space and training resources limited in Hong Kong, overseas exercises for units are essential in maintaining high standards, and 1984 saw exercises take place in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Hawaii. In addition, a command and control exercise in Hong Kong involved the government and the police, as well as the British Forces. The high standard of individual training of Hong Kong-based units was again demonstrated in competition with the rest of the British Army at the 1984 shooting tournament at Bisley in England. The depot of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps entered a team for the first time and was rewarded by a third place in its particular competition.

Royal Air Force

The main element of the Royal Air Force in Hong Kong is based at Sek Kong in the New Territories. The No. 28 (Army Co-operation) Squadron operates 10 Wessex helicopters from Sek Kong airfield supported by engineering and administrative squadrons. Included in the supporting element is an air traffic control unit, which also provides an advisory control service outside Hong Kong International Airport airspace. Movement of military personnel and cargo by air from Hong Kong' International Airport is controlled by the RAF Airport Unit based at Kai Tak, while the RAF Provost and Security Services Unit is located at Blackdown Barracks, San Po Kong. Additionally, RAF personnel serve on the staff of Headquarters British Forces, in the Joint Air Tasking Cell, and in the Joint Services Movements Centre.

The Wessex helicopters are employed in direct support of the Army and can each carry up to 14 troops or 1 400 kilograms of freight anywhere within Hong Kong. The helicopter is the only practicable way of moving troops, rations and equipment quickly to outlying areas, and its speed and flexibility have been significant factors in the success of the security forces' operations.

Although illegal immigration has been substantially reduced across the land border many still attempt to enter Hong Kong in speedboats. These clandestine operations, which are normally carried out at night, are countered by combined operations involving surface vessels and Wessex helicopters. The Wessex uses its 65 million candle-power Nightsun