14.1 |
Military equipment (post-conflict)
152.
The Review
noted that CPA(South) had “yet to extend its influence” beyond
Basra
City. The
arrival of Sir Hilary Synnott as Head of Coalition Provisional
Authority (South)
was the
“first recent sign of this state of affairs improving; but without
the people,
protected
mobility, communications and life support Sir Hilary will not
have the means at
his
disposal to implement the changes he requires”. It said that
Governorate Teams were
also “under
resourced” and “barely exist” outside Basra.
153.
In the short
term, 16 vehicles were recommended (four Land Rovers and
12 white
fleet
4x4s73) to
support the staff in Governorate Teams. There was an
additional
requirement
for six “stripped down Land Rovers to provide top cover escorts”
for
CPA(South)
staff operating inside Basra City, including for
consultants.
154.
The Review
stated that the enduring requirement for greater surveillance
capability
was
“urgent”. The existing force protection measures limited the
ability to “observe a
situation
from the ground”.
155.
The Review
articulated the requirement for light protected
mobility:
“The threat
posed to CF [Coalition Forces] within Basra City from IED, RPG
and
small arms
attacks is currently being countered by the use of
stripped‑down
Land Rovers
with top cover sentries. This necessarily carries a risk to the top
cover
vehicles
from attack, particularly from IEDs. Force protection will be
improved by
the
provision of up‑armoured 4x4 vehicles that meet the broad
definitions below.
Replacing
the full complement of this in the UK Bde [brigade] would require
of
the order
of 420 vehicles. The minimum quantity to provide essential
protected
movement in
Basra and Maysan is 228. Any lower number will be put to good
use
in accordance
with priorities. The requirement is for:
•
An agile
wheeled vehicle capable of swift acceleration and speed in
excess
of 60
mph.
•
A high
degree of protection against small arms fire and blast
devices.
•
A cupola to
allow top cover protection to deter attackers, particularly
those
deploying
anti‑armour weapons and small arms.
•
… [G]rills
to give windows protection against thrown objects, both to
enhance
routine
protection and to enable its use in public order situations where a
Warrior
[AFV] may
be too threatening or unable to manoeuvre in small
streets.”
156.
The Review
also “strongly recommended” that at least one battlegroup in each
UK
brigade be
equipped with four companies74
of Warrior
as it was the “only infantry vehicle
with
protection against RPG”.
73
A white
fleet 4x4 is an unarmoured Army vehicle.
74 A
military company is a type of military unit that consists of
between 80 and 250 soldiers.
29