Uk Troops 'ill-prepared'
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Uk Troops 'ill-prepared'
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
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Is the officer who orders his men into theatre without adequate equipment guilty of anything? Dereliction of duty? Conduct prejudicial etc? The politicians may order the combat but they (we) rely on the chain of command to have things right. So why blame the faceless MOD? Who is at fault in such circumstances? Will anyone carry the can?
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if alot of the kit doesn't actually exist then when an officer is told by his political masters what to do wht can he do?
Say No they they will sack him find an officer who will say yes
alot of medical kit didn't exist and had to be rapidally purchased. why? because the funding would not be authroised by civil servants.
alot of medical kit has had to be written off why 84 mss(med supply squadron) the specialists in medical supply had to work in poor conditions and improvise storage. corimechs for storing drugs in a temperature controlled enviroment were taken of them by the RLC supply units who now control them to provide an air conditioned RHQ and a bread store. 84 are passing from the AMS to the RLC who just see medical stores as another comodity an 84 as a source of manpower. and the Med log agencey is to be privatised
The treasury were up in arms about the ammount of kit that was being purchased on SOR's why because a few years earlier the armed forces had asked for money for the programmes and it had been put on the long finger. As the perceived run in time for a major conflict was 10 years.
Say No they they will sack him find an officer who will say yes
alot of medical kit didn't exist and had to be rapidally purchased. why? because the funding would not be authroised by civil servants.
alot of medical kit has had to be written off why 84 mss(med supply squadron) the specialists in medical supply had to work in poor conditions and improvise storage. corimechs for storing drugs in a temperature controlled enviroment were taken of them by the RLC supply units who now control them to provide an air conditioned RHQ and a bread store. 84 are passing from the AMS to the RLC who just see medical stores as another comodity an 84 as a source of manpower. and the Med log agencey is to be privatised
The treasury were up in arms about the ammount of kit that was being purchased on SOR's why because a few years earlier the armed forces had asked for money for the programmes and it had been put on the long finger. As the perceived run in time for a major conflict was 10 years.
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I really thought all this had come to light a few months ago! I hope someone gets a severe shoeing for this at a very high level.
It is certainly not down to the Officers on the ground to take that kicking. They are there to make the actions, not have to worry the kit is being provided. I maintain it is the procurement that is totally f****d up on many of the 'smallest' things that caused the worst problems. Clothing is one of the worst offenders - I saw more personal discomfort due to the poor s0ds wearing and operating with the wrong kit.
It is certainly not down to the Officers on the ground to take that kicking. They are there to make the actions, not have to worry the kit is being provided. I maintain it is the procurement that is totally f****d up on many of the 'smallest' things that caused the worst problems. Clothing is one of the worst offenders - I saw more personal discomfort due to the poor s0ds wearing and operating with the wrong kit.
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Marvellous... In 1991 post GW1 I remember hearing a politician saying "There were deficiencies in kit, however, we have learned our lessons and will make sure this doesn't happen again". After the famous Saif Ex someone was heard to say "There were deficiencies in kit, however, we have learned our lessons and will make sure this doesn't happen again". Yesterday... you guessed it!! ... "There were deficiencies in kit, however, we have learned our lessons and will make sure this doesn't happen again". We can actually just about put up with not having the equipment, the annoying and frustrating part is the top man saying it is all going to get better. Three weeks of terminal leave left, time is dragging...............
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It is of course entirely possible that Hoon wasn't worried about the shortage of NBC kit in theatre because he already knew there was no credible threat.
