Canberra, 21 February 1961
Top Secret
Record of Meeting with Earl Mountbatten of Burma at Parliament House
The United Kingdom Chief of Defence Staff informed Ministers that the United Kingdom Government was examining the future deployment of its Defence Forces in the light of a Special Report on tasks likely to face the United Kingdom up to 1970 in the sphere of external policy and particularly defence.
The main points made by the Chief of Defence Staff were:–
1. There were two critical problems in the immediate future. One was the short-fall in manpower for two to three years from the end of 1962 when the Army’s strength would fall to about 165,000 due to the cessation of National Service. The other was the drain on overseas reserves resulting from heavy defence commitments outside the United Kingdom.
2. Deployment proposals to meet this position in the short-term had been prepared but were still subject to the approval of United Kingdom Ministers.
3. The long-term problems which would be affected to a large degree by the ultimate size of United Kingdom Forces in Germany would be discussed during the forth-coming Prime Minister’s Conference.
4. The immediate proposals for changes in deployment in the Far East were as follows:—
(a) Hong Kong:
(i) One U.K. infantry battalion to move from Hong Kong to Malaya and be replaced by one Gurkha infantry battalion from Malaya.
(ii) One medium regiment to return to the United Kingdom.
(iii) One anti-aircraft regiment to be transferred to Hong Kong from Malaya.
(b) Borneo:
(i) One Gurkha infantry battalion to be transferred to Borneo from Malaya.
(c) Singapore:
(i) A field regiment and an armoured car regiment to be transferred to Singapore from Malaya.
(d) Malaya:
(i) One armoured car regiment and one field regiment to be transferred from Malaya to Singapore.
(ii) One Gurkha infantry battalion to be transferred from Malaya to Borneo.
(iii) One Gurkha infantry battalion and one anti-aircraft regiment to be transferred from Malaya to Hong Kong.
(iv) One Gurkha infantry battalion and brigade headquarters to return to the United Kingdom.
(v) One divisional headquarters, and one Gurkha brigade headquarters to be disbanded.
(vi) One U.K. infantry battalion to be transferred from Malaya to Hong Kong.
No change was proposed for the Commonwealth Brigade group.
5. These proposals would amount to a loss of two units and two headquarters from the present U.K. strength in the Far East, but the addition of one Commando and the Commando Brigade Headquarters would leave the overall reduction as one unit and one headquarters.
6. There would be no reduction in the Air Force or Navy strength; indeed the Navy would have greater flexibility. An additional Commando carrier would be in the area for one third of the year.
7. It should be borne in mind, however, that if negotiations for a reduction of U.K. forces with NATO were not successful it might be necessary to make further reductions in the Far East.
As an initial reaction, Ministers considered that these proposals did not represent any significant subtraction from the overall strength of the United Kingdom in the Far East and accordingly raised no objections.
The Chief of Defence Staff sought an opinion from Ministers as to the appropriate time to inform the Malayan Prime Minister of these proposals. He was advised that it would be preferable for Mr. Macmillan to do this in London with the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand present.
[NAA:A1209, 1961/94]