14.1 |
Military equipment (post-conflict)
•
Type C
project (“Format”) – producing capability for combat support units
in
expeditionary
operations, including replacing eight Zimmer150
vehicles
sent to
Iraq for
IED Disposal teams in April 2003, which were “failing” and the
USUR
raised by
the Royal Engineers on 12 June for “some form of protected
mobility”.
299.
The strategy
stated that an analysis of the numbers had “proved
extremely difficult”
without any
endorsed CONOPS and “no overall front line Customer 2 lead”. The
308
Snatch 1.5
vehicles in Iraq, and 133 in reserve, were listed as a “firm
requirement”.
300.
The “emerging
requirements” included a minimum of 224 Type B Vector
vehicles
for
Afghanistan in 2006. Considering its options, the strategy stated
that:
•
If
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan were not concurrent, the present
vehicle
scaling
would suffice, Vector would not be procured, and any enhancements
to
the 2005
Equipment Programme would be withdrawn. Priority would switch
to
sustaining
the conversion of Snatch 1.5 vehicles to the Snatch 2
variant.
•
If the
operations were concurrent, the requirement for 224 vehicles
for
Afghanistan
could be met by removing the 133 Snatch vehicles held in
reserve
for Iraq
and reducing Northern Ireland’s allocation by 100.
“Alternatively,
TELIC could
reduce to 100 vehicles, freeing the balance of 271”, subject
to
refurbishment,
available for Afghanistan.
•
If the
operations were concurrent, an additional capability could be
procured.
That was
the recommended option.
301.
The “realistic
assessment” was that definitive requirements and numbers
were
not likely
to be possible before December 2004 and the balance between Iraq
and
Afghanistan
was “unlikely to be clear before mid 05”. The strategy proposed
that:
•
Snatch 2
production be extended by a further Operational Emergency
business
case for
the conversion of another 360 Snatch 1 vehicles to guarantee
the
model’s
sustainability for 2006;
•
the first
tranche of 141 Vector vehicles be procured by UOR against
Equipment
Programme
funding to ensure an interim operating capability by 31
January
2006;
and
•
the first
two of four tranches be procured for 24 combat support vehicles by
UOR
against
Equipment Programme funding.
302.
On 27 October,
Commodore Peter Eberle, Director Directorate of Joint
Capability,
raised an SOR for all three Types of PPV with DEC(SP) and Brigadier
Tim
Inshaw,
Director of Capability Integration (Army) (DCI(A)).151
Cdre Eberle
said that
it was
“needed as a matter of priority” to inform consideration of options
in the 2005
150
The Zimmer
vehicle was a deployable EOD capability vehicle that was brought
into service in
approximately
January 2003.
151
Paper
Eberle, 27 October 2004, ‘Statement of Operational Requirement for
Protected Patrol Vehicle
(PPV) for
Operations During Period 2005‑2007’.
53