Effects of Defence Review on Oman

This file concerns debates around maintaining the British military commitment to Oman, between the competing pressures of the Dhofar conflict and the defence review which calls for the scaling back of Britain’s global strategic commitments. It contains correspondence relating to:

• Debates concerning the reduction or withdrawal of the RAF and Army deployments at Salalah and handover of this base to the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force (SOAF)
• The legal difficulties of disengaging from Salalah
• Tables displaying the current deployment at Salalah
• Consultations with Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed Al Said of Oman on the future of the British military presence; and consultations with the US, NATO, and allies hosting British bases, including Hong Kong, Brunei, Cyprus, and others, on the proposed withdrawals and reductions
• The expected Jordanian reaction to the planned reduction of the British military commitment in Oman
• The possibility of the US military using the facilities on Masirah, and the reaction to this in the Arab world
• Proposed development projects on Masirah led by Sir William Halcrow & Partners Limited, and the likely effect on these of the RAF’s withdrawal
• Debates in the US around expanding the military base at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory
• A draft Defence White Paper reviewing the activities of the British Armed Forces in the year 1975 and the withdrawals and reductions of Britain’s global defence commitments