trailfinder
11th Dec 2003, 17:43
UK TROOPS 'ILL-PREPARED'
British troops went into battle in Iraq without protective equipment because it failed to arrive in time, according to a report.
The Ministry of Defence is blamed for failing to supply body armour and nuclear, biological and chemical suits as well as desert uniforms.
The revelations have come in an authoritative report on the armed forces' performance in the war from the National Audit Office.
The Whitehall spending watchdog said that body armour, nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) suits and desert uniforms all failed to reach the troops on the frontline.
Some Challenger 2 tanks were only finally fully armoured up for desert warfare 48 hours before they went into action.
Meanwhile tanks and other armoured vehicles never received the protective NBC filters which they were supposed to be fitted with.
The report paints a chaotic picture with commanders simply unable to locate where their supplies were supposed to be.
As confidence in the supply chain collapsed, troops simply took items they needed, adding to the confusion.
In one "extreme case", 1 (UK) Armoured Division became so desperate they sent a team back from Kuwait to their stores at Bicester in a vain attempt to find missing NBC detection equipment.
NAO director David Clarke, who led the team which drew up the report, said: "The supply system was simply swamped by the sheer volume of equipment."
Last Updated: 09:54 UK, Thursday December 11, 2003
British troops went into battle in Iraq without protective equipment because it failed to arrive in time, according to a report.
The Ministry of Defence is blamed for failing to supply body armour and nuclear, biological and chemical suits as well as desert uniforms.
The revelations have come in an authoritative report on the armed forces' performance in the war from the National Audit Office.
The Whitehall spending watchdog said that body armour, nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) suits and desert uniforms all failed to reach the troops on the frontline.
Some Challenger 2 tanks were only finally fully armoured up for desert warfare 48 hours before they went into action.
Meanwhile tanks and other armoured vehicles never received the protective NBC filters which they were supposed to be fitted with.
The report paints a chaotic picture with commanders simply unable to locate where their supplies were supposed to be.
As confidence in the supply chain collapsed, troops simply took items they needed, adding to the confusion.
In one "extreme case", 1 (UK) Armoured Division became so desperate they sent a team back from Kuwait to their stores at Bicester in a vain attempt to find missing NBC detection equipment.
NAO director David Clarke, who led the team which drew up the report, said: "The supply system was simply swamped by the sheer volume of equipment."
Last Updated: 09:54 UK, Thursday December 11, 2003