14.1 |
Military equipment (post-conflict)
251.
In
Maj Gen Richards’ review of the Equipment Programme for
the Army on
25 June, he
had stated that, in “the very short term”, UORs would allow “an
uplift
in
capability to meet operational requirements”.128
The UK
would “be committed to
Op TELIC
until at least the end of 2006” and “the UK’s commitment to
Afghanistan could
increase in
the same timeframe”. Operations in Iraq had:
“…
highlighted the need for a mix of heavy ground manoeuvre capability
and
DCC
[Dismounted Close Combat], whilst the requirement for improved
protected
mobility
has been met by the deployment of Snatch from NI and Saxon. Snatch
will
be replaced
by DUCKBOARD beyond 06. The need for a coherent plan to
deliver
protected
mobility vehicles to meet the requirement of both theatres of
operation
has been
highlighted.”
252.
On 7 July,
DEC(SP) set out the next steps on Project DUCKBOARD so a
business
case could
be developed and approved by September.129
The minute
stated that the role
for light
protected mobility in Northern Ireland remained enduring, and it
reiterated how
operational
experience overseas had highlighted capability gaps in
post‑conflict, peace
support
operations and counter‑terrorist situations.
253.
DEC(SP) stated
that the way forward was “beset with unresolved
issues”,
including:
•
a range of
threats across new operating environments, such as Iraq
and
Afghanistan
with “ill‑defined” requirements;
•
“no clearly
defined” user focus or capability management
mechanisms;
•
an
“incomplete definition” of the number of vehicles required;
and
•
“no defined
logistic vision or relationship with other mobility
capabilities”.
254.
DEC(SP)
repeated the concerns raised in the 14 April business case about
the
aged Snatch
fleet and chassis corrosion.
255.
The number of
required vehicles remained “undefined” but DEC(SP) stated
that
an initial
analysis “might be” for three different types of PPV:
128
Paper ACGS,
25 June 2004, ‘Review of the Equipment Programme for the Army 2004
(Repa 04)’.
129
Paper
DEC(SP) to D Jt Cap, 7 July 2004, ‘Project DUCKBOARD – Way
Forward’.
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