The entire Royal Marine amphibious force was in jeopardy of being disbanded and the review announced an intent to phase out both assault ships, Intrepid and Fearless, by 1984.
[1][2] Although an additional Type 22 frigate was confirmed ordered, Nott stated that nine of the navy's 59 escorts would be decommissioned, mainly from the County, Leander, and Rothesay classes.
[4] Nott announced the intent to order five additional nuclear-powered attack submarines, eventually increasing the total to 17 and placing greater emphasis on the fleet's sub-surface forces.
The White Paper also confirmed that the navy's acquisition of the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile would move forward as part of the Government's plan to modernize the British nuclear deterrent.
[4] Manpower losses for the Royal Air Force would amount to 2,500, but the white paper committed to retaining all of the RAF's projects, and confirmed the procurement of the AV-8B Harrier in collaboration with the United States.
The December 1982 Defence White Paper introduced a number of initiatives "to increase the mobility and flexibility of our Armed Forces for future operations in the NATO area and elsewhere".