The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
325.
Lt Gen Fulton
told the DMB that there had been “significant cost growth in
several
large
programmes, some of which had proved impossible to contain”, and
that:
“…
balancing and de‑risking the programme had required a number of
painful
measures,
especially in the early years. But it was now a robust programme
that
could be
taken forward effectively.”
326.
In agreeing
the programme to be submitted to Mr Hoon, the DMB approved
lists
of proposed
savings and enhancements in the Equipment Programme, “reflecting
the
pressures
and changing circumstances since the 2004 Spending Review
settlement”.
327.
A report on
lessons from Op TELIC produced by the MOD’s Directorate
of
Operational
Capability (DOC) on 22 February stated:
“With the
continued increase in the use of IEDs, the Snatch conversion
programme
was a
belated reaction to the threat … Trends indicate that future
operations
will
continue to face threats of a similar nature and Defence planning
should be
cognisant
of this reality, rather than reactive to a situation after a
deployment is
328.
The report
highlighted two lessons on protected mobility:
•
“Sustained
investment is required to provide sufficient protected
mobility
vehicles
for operations in hostile environments such as Iraq …”
•
“Sufficient
equipment to protect patrol vehicles against IEDs should
be
maintained
and available for current and future operations …”
329.
The Chiefs of
Staff discussed the report on the same day but the minutes do
not
record any
specific reference to the protected mobility concerns raised in the
DOC
330.
The PPV
Capability Integration Working Group (CIWG) met for the first time
on
1 February
2005.165
The Chair
summarised the group’s challenge as “a combination of
delivering
a PPV capability with insufficient funding against an ambitious
timeline”.
331.
A DEC(SP)
representative briefed the CIWG that the DMB had agreed, subject
to
Ministerial
approval of the 2005 Equipment Programme, that the Capital
Departmental
Expenditure
Limit should be approximately £42m over the next three financial
years.
163
Report DOC,
22 February 2005, ‘Operation TELIC Lessons Study Vol.
2’.
164
Minutes, 22
February 2005, Chiefs of Staff meeting.
165
Minutes, 1
February 2005, Protected Patrol Vehicle (PPV) Capability
Integration Working Group
meeting.
58