East of Suez

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East of Suez was a term used in British military and political discussions. It referred to Imperial interests beyond the European theatre (sometimes including, sometime excluding the Middle East). Strategically the empire military infrastructure was based upon sea lanes of communication through the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal and round the Cape to India and on to East Asia and Australia. With the end of empire, starting with Indian Independence (1947), a gradual draw down of the military presence "east of Suez" started. In 1967, Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his Minister of Defence Denis Healey announced that British troops in major military bases in South East Asia(primarily in Malaysia, Singapore, and Aden) would be run-down by 1971.

Edward Heath's government decided when it came to power in June 1970 to retain a small political and military commitment to South East Asia through the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

It maintains a Jungle Warfare School in Brunei, a battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles along with some aircraft of the Army Air Corps. There were several units in Hong Kong prior to handover in 1997.

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