PAGE 01 NATO 05862 222112Z
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ACTION EUR-12
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 CIAE-00 PM-03 INR-05 L-02 ACDA-05
NSAE-00 PA-01 RSC-01 PRS-01 SP-02 USIA-06 TRSE-00
SAJ-01 SS-15 NSC-05 OC-01 CCO-00 AEC-05 H-01 IO-04
OIC-01 OMB-01 SAM-01 /074 W
--------------------- 081106
R 221855Z OCT 74
FM USMISSION NATO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8324
SECDEF WASHDC
INFO ALL NATO CAPITALS 4517
USNMR SHAPE
USCINCEUR
USLOSACLANT
CINCLANT
CINCUSAREUR
CINCUSAFE
C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 5862
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: MPOL, NATO, NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS DEFENSE PLAN
MISSION HAS JUST RECEIVED COPY OF LETTER DATED OCTOBER 21 FROM THE
NETHERLANDS PERMREP (HARTOGH) TO SYG LUNS AND COPIES TO GON ENGLISH
TRANSLATION OF THE NETHERLANDS DEFENSE WHITE PAPER. MISSION
IS POUCHING COPIES OF WHITE PAPER TO STATE (EUR/RPM)(REG
#1360919) AND DEFENSE ISA (REG #4611). FOLLOWING IS TEXT
OF HARTOGH LETTER.
BEGIN TEXT:
IN THE COURSE OF THE CONSULTATIONS IN THE
DEFENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE ON THE NETHERLANDS DEFENCE
PLAN I PROMISED TO PROVIDE YOU ANY MY COLLEAGUES WITH
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PAGE 02 NATO 05862 222112Z
AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE NETHERLANDS DEFENCE
WHITE PAPER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS TRANSLATION
HAS, UNFORTUNATELY, REQUIRED CONSIDERABLY MORE TIME
THAN ORIGINALLY FORESEEN, BUT I NOW HAVE PLEASURE TO
PRESENT ENCLOSED A COPY THEREOF.
AS YOU PROBABLY ARE AWARE FROM PRESS RE-
PORTS, THE WHITE PAPER HAS RECENTLY BEEN DISCUSSED IN
THE NETHERLANDS PARLIAMENT. I FEEL YOU MAY FIND IT
USEFUL TO BE INFORMED AS THE THE EFFECTS OF THE PAR-
LIMINARY DISCUSSIONS ON THE NETHERLANDS DEFENCE
PLAN, IN PARTICULAR AS FAR AS THESE WERE RELATED TO
THE NETHERLANDS CONTRIBUTION TO NATO AND TO THE SUB-
JECTS ON WHICH THE DPC HAS EXPRESSED SPECIAL CONCERN.
MBFR.
ALTHOUGH THE WHITE PAPER STARTS FROM THE
ASSUMPTION THAT MBFR NEGOTIATIONS WILL HAVE ACHIEVED
RESULTS AT THE TIME THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
DEFENCE PLAN WILL START, MINISTER VREDELING HAS
CLEARLY STATED IN PARLIAMENT THAT THE NETHERLANDS GO-
VERNMENT WILL CONFORM WITH AGREED NATO MBFR POLICY
AS REGARDS UNILATERAL FORCE REDUCTIONS. IN THAT CON-
NECTION HE DECLARED EXPLICITLY THAT THE PEACETIME
STRENGTH OF THE ARMY WILL NOT BE REDUCED PENDING THE
MBFR NEGOTIATIONS, THUS MAINTAINING THE CURRENT NUM-
BER OF MEN IN UNIFORM. THE EXTRA FUNDS NECESSARY TO
FINANCE THIS COMMITMENT WILL BE REQUESTED IN AN AD-
DITIONAL APPROPRIATION BILL TO BE PRESENTED TO
PARLIAMENT IN THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR. IT IS ESTIMA-
TED THAT IT WILL TOTAL SOME 46 MILLION GUILDERS.
REDUCTION OF CONSCRIPT SERVICE TIME
IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING AN ADJUSTMENT HAS HAD
TO BE MADE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASES OF THE PLANNED RE-
DUCTIONS IN CONSCRIPT SERVICE TIME. INSTEAD OF THE ORIGI-
NALLY PROPOSED REDUCTION OF FOUR MONTHS, THE REDUCTION WILL,
FOR THE TIME BEING, BE LIMITED TO TWO MONTHS. STARTING
WITH THE SECOND GROUP OF CONSCRIPTS TO BE CALLED UP IN 1976
(SPRING) CONSCRIPT SERVICE TIME WILL BE REDUCED FROM 16 TO
14 MONTHS. TO BE IN LINE WITH THE ACCEPTED MBFR POLICY AS
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PAGE 03 NATO 05862 222112Z
OUTLINED BEFORE, A LIMITED NUMBER OF EXTRA CONSCRIPTS WILL
BE CALLED UP TO MAINTAIN PEACE-TIME STRENGTH.
FURTHER REDUCTIONS WILL ONLY BE DECIDED UPON
IN THE LIGHT OF THE PROGRESS MADE IN THE MBFR NEGOTIATIONS.
IT IS THE FIRM INTENTION OF MY GOVERNMENT THAT, AS LONG AS
MBFR REDUCTIONS CAN NOT BE AGREED UPON, THE ARMY WILL NOT
FURTHER SHORTEN THE TIME OF SERVICE FOR ITS CONSCRIPTS.
WITHDRAWAL OF HAWK BATTERIES
IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY STATEMENT IN THE DPC
MEETING OF JULY 5TH 1974 AND IN CONSONANCE WITH THE WIL-
LINGNESS EXPRESSED BY THE NETHERLANDS PRIME MINISTER IN
HIS LETTER TO THE SECRETARY GENERAL TO FURTHER STUDY
THE PROPOSED WITHDRAWAL OF SOME HAWK BATTERIES, THE NE-
THERLANDS AUTHORITIES HAVE STUDIED THE COMPROMISE PROPO-
SAL PRESENTED BY SACEUR (MCM-69-74 DATED 30-9-1974). THEY
HAVE REACHED THE CONCLUSION THAT THEY CAN ACCEPT THE MAIN
PART OF SACEURS PROPOSAL, WITHDRAWING 3 INSTEAD OF 5 HAWK
BATTERIES, AND ARE PREPARED TO ADAPT THE OTIGINAL PLAN
ACCORDINGLY. EXTRA FUNDS OF ABOUT 40 MILLION GUILDERS FOR
MEDIUM HIGH AIR DEFENCE WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE.
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION CONCERNING THE NE-
THERLANDS DEFENCE EFFORT WILL OF COURSE BE PROVIDED IN THE
ALREADY ON GOING DEFENCE REVIEW PROCEDURE.
I AM SENDING COPIES OF THIS LETTER AND THE
ENCLOSURE TO THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE DEFENCE
PLANNING COMMITTEE AND TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MILITARY
COMMITTEE. END TEXT.
MCAULIFFE.
CONFIDENTIAL
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