§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of of State for Defence whether it is intended that the current rundown of troops and military installations in the Far East should continue at the pace proposed by the previous Government until the British contribution to the five-Power defence arrangements envisaged in Command Paper No. 4521 is the only British force remaining.
§ Lord BalnielWe have no proposals at present for altering the pace of the rundown, but the plan is kept constantly under review.
§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of State for Defence what command structure is envisaged for the proposed five-Power defence arrangements.
§ Lord BalnielWe shall be discussing future command arangements with our Commonwealth partners. Until we have consulted them there is nothing further I can say on this question.
§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of State for Defence what other forces, in addition to the proposed British contribution to the five-Power defence arrangements will be liable to be called to do duty in the Far East.
§ Lord BalnielAs stated in the Supplementary Defence White Paper, there will be a considerable number of visits by combat units of all three Services for jungle, air and maritime training and exercises in the Malaysia and Singapore area. There will also be the garrison in Hong Kong. The question of reinforcements would be considered in the light of circumstances.
§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of State for Defence what is the total strength envisaged for the British battalion groups for the Far East; and what additional forces will remain in Hong Kong in this connection.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourThe total uniformed strength, including logistic support, of the battalion group referred to in paragraph 10 of Comnd. 4521 will be about 427W 1,500. The force level in Hong Kong will remain substantially as at present.
§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of State for Defence how many aircraft will be comprised in the Far East detachment of Nimrod; whether they will be there the whole of the year; what airfield they will occupy; who will service them; and what tasks they will perform.
§ Mr. LambtonWe plan to contribute up to four Nimrod aircraft for maritime reconnaissance throughout the year, by rotational detachments to Singapore. Detailed administrative and support arrangements are the subject of consultation with our Commonwealth partners.
§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of State for Defence what is the total strength of Royal Air Force and Royal Navy personnel envisaged for the Far East, including and excluding Hong Kong, respectively.
§ Lord BalnielWe envisage that after 1971 there will be just over 800 R.N. and R.A.F. uniformed personnel, including Royal Marines, permanently stationed in Hong Kong. Details of the support arrangements in Singapore and Malaysia are being worked out, but we anticipate that there will be on average in the region of 2,000 R.N. and R.A.F. uniformed personnel in the area, including the naval force on station East of Suez.
§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of State for Defence from what year it is envisaged that the annual cost of deploying forces in South-East Asia will be between £5 million and £10 million.
§ Lord Balniel1972–73 will be the first year in which the annual cost will be between £5 million and £10 million.
§ Mr. John Morrisasked the Minister of State for Defence what North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces will be declared for the Far East; and how far other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation powers have been consulted on this question.
§ Lord BalnielOur allocation of forces to N.A.T.O. will be reduced by one battery of the Royal Artillery; and up to three naval escorts and a detachment of Nimrod aircraft will be at rather longer428W notice. We are discussing our plans with our N.A.T.O. allies in accordance with normal practice. These minor changes are, of course, far outweighed by the increases in our force declarations to N.A.T.O. announced in the recent Supplementary Statement on Defence Policy 1970.