Armed forces

This file covers matters relating to the Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF) in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. It contains correspondence relating to:

• Questions around financing the SAF, including the end of HMG’s subsidisation, and whether the Sultanate or HMG should be responsible for certain payments
• Ending the use of British military air charters by SAF personnel, as this is thought to be in breach of International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations [enclosed]
• Provision of non-combat British Army and RAF support for the SAF around Salalah and Habarut in the ongoing Dhofar rebellion
• HMG’s reluctance to deploy the RAF in a more active role, in the context of UN debates on the Sultanate
• Protests from the People’s Republic of South Yemen regarding the presence of the SAF at Habarut, on the eastern border of South Yemen
• Possibility of recruiting military officers recently made redundant by the collapse of the Federation of South Arabia (now South Yemen) in the Sultanate
• Report on the SAF’s current strength
• Purchasing arms and ammunition for the SAF from France
• Consular matters concerning individual SAF officers, including the case of an Irish officer who died at Salalah
• Rates of pay in the SAF