14.1 |
Military equipment (post-conflict)
It has
considered the papers that went to the DMB meeting on 26 January
2005 and the
minutes of
that meeting. The only difference that appears to arise is that the
DMB agreed
to fund 650
vehicles as opposed to 724 but the minutes and papers do not
provide any
consideration
of how the number of vehicles was decided.
The MOD
told the Inquiry it was:
“ … unable
to find any evidence of a specific reduction in the funding of PPVs
by
45%. It is
unclear how that figure was determined.”169
343.
The second
meeting of the PPV CIWG was held on 23 February.170
Option
2
had been
finalised but the Chair highlighted the need to “give SUV IPT
direction with
confirming
URs and KURs”.
344.
Concerns “were
aired as to the future of the remaining Snatch” vehicles that
had
not been
funded for an upgrade. The Directorate of Joint Capability agreed
to investigate
whether
they could be funded “from the Afghanistan Contingency Funds
through PJHQ”.
345.
The business
case for the conversion of the second batch of 312 Snatch
vehicles
was
submitted on 16 June 2005 and was approved in early July 2005. That
is addressed
later in
this Section.
346.
In Iraq the
IED threat was continuing to evolve, prompting a review of tactics
and
protection.
347.
On 28 April,
DSTL produced a presentation entitled ‘Performance of
Explosively
Formed
Projectiles Against UK Armour’ outlining the results of further
testing of IEDs
against
Warrior‑type armour.171
That
stated:
“Initial
investigations concluded that these devices […] posed a
significantly
enhanced
threat when compared to previously exploited weapons.”
348.
DSTL
recommended the inclusion of an additional layer of protective
armour on
Warrior to
help to mitigate the new threat.
349.
On 2 May,
Guardsman Anthony John Wakefield died as a result of
injuries
sustained
when the Snatch vehicle he was travelling in hit a roadside IED in
al‑Amara.172
169
Letter
Duke‑Evans to Hammond, 2 February 2016, [untitled].
170
Minutes, 23
February 2005, Protected Patrol Vehicle (PPV) Capability
Integration Working Group
meeting.
171
Briefing
DSTL, 28 April 2005, ‘Performance of EFPs against UK
Armour’.
172
BBC
News, 6 May
2005, UK
soldier’s body returned home.
61