SECRET and trooping flights as well. It is not possible to fly direct from Cyprus to without staging at either Bahrain or Masirah, except in certain circumstances with the VC-10. Even 11 could make available the large number of tanker aircraft for in-flight refuelling as an alternative this would be of little help since facilities for tankers at are inadequate. 6. Wasirah would also remain important in the same way after the mid-seventies when our Forces have left the Far Eastern mainland. By that time we may well have withdrawn our military presence in the Wulf and therefore no longer enjoy our present facilities in Bahrain and Sharjah. But we are still committed to deploying a military capability to the Far East if necessary in order to honour our treaty obligations there.
