14.1 |
Military equipment (post-conflict)
the area of
capability integration; this being the responsibility of the Chief
of Joint
Operations (CJO)”.
82.
The study was
endorsed in December and lead elements of the EC
Branch
deployed to
Iraq in January 2005.36
The MND(SE)
EC Branch was formally established
in theatre
on 24 February 2005, and was staffed by three staff
officers.
83.
The EC Branch
produced an ‘Initial Deployment Report’ on 10 June
2005,
considering
its performance so far and making recommendations for its
longer‑term
84.
The report
stated that the EC Branch initially performed “two discrete roles”.
The first
was the
provision of support to the UOR process, on behalf of MND(SE), by
providing a
central
focus for UOR activity and taking the lead in the co‑ordination of
requirements,
capturing
activity and SOR staffing. The EC cell’s mandate did not explicitly
state that
EC Branch
could “engage authoritatively in UOR integration matters”.
That had been
“identified
as a key MND(SE) shortfall” in the report.
85.
Although
having no formal mandate to do so, the EC cell did engage in
UOR
integration
activity, which had meant creating appropriate structures and
procedures to
support the
effective integration of UOR capabilities. The cell established a
“Capability
Integration
Working Group (CIWG) framework, formalised Capability Integration
Plans
(CIP), and
ensuring that theatre capability issues were addressed across the
Defence
Lines of
Development (DLOD)”.38
That work
had “already proven instrumental in
identifying
a number of capability issues likely to have an adverse effect on
theatre
operations”
and in identifying action to mitigate those issues. The report
stated that
the work
would enable the EC cell to “deliver greater benefit than its
current MND(SE)
focused
role would normally permit”.
86.
In the report,
the cell recommended that “a broader remit, acting on behalf of
CJO”
would also
enable the EC Branch to deliver greater benefit. The cell did not
recommend
any changes
to EC Branch staffing levels, “due to the continued evolution of
the Branch
… and the
awaited outcome of this report”.
87.
The report
contained a number of lessons:
•
The
formation and deployment of the EC Branch was “too late to
deliver
maximum
benefit to the operation”. Maximum benefit of an EC Branch
capability
would be
realised “if it is embedded within the force prior to or
immediately
36
Minute, 10
June 2005, ‘Multi National Division (South East) Equipment
Capability – Initial Deployment
Report’.
37
Minute, 10
June 2005, ‘Multi National Division (South East) Equipment
Capability – Initial Deployment
Report’.
38
The MOD
framework for capability assessment recommends breaking down
capabilities into eight
constituent
elements, or “Defence Lines of Development”: Training, Equipment,
Personnel, Information,
Concepts
and Doctrine, Organisation, Infrastructure and
Logistics.
17