Retreat from overseas bases and commitments

The plan reduced the Mediterranean deployment, abandoned Aden, confined the Middle Eastern presence to the Persian Gulf, cut Far Eastern forces after Confrontation, and ended permanent deployments in the Caribbean and South Africa. Caribbean obligations nevertheless continued through hurricane relief and other responsibilities. Britain later invested again in Bahrain and Singapore and maintained forces in the Gulf without a nearby base at greater expense. Giving up access can save money immediately while making later commitments harder and costlier to sustain.