The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
580.
In addition,
Brig Inshaw wrote that there was “an urgent requirement for
armoured
vehicles to
provide protected transport to move personnel for administrative
purposes”
because
PPVs had “been used to fulfil this role” in the past. That would be
addressed
by the
deployment of FV430s in November 2006 and LAND was “deploying
additional
up‑armoured
Warrior” vehicles to meet the requirement in “the very short
term”.
581.
Brig Inshaw
advised that improved physical protection was only part of the
solution;
work was
also under way to address battlefield helicopter and ISTAR
shortfalls, and
TTPs would
continue to be adapted. He noted that fielding a larger PPV would
“require
some change
to current operational practices”.
582.
Initial
calculations highlighted a shortage of PPVs in Iraq, Afghanistan
and the
training
pool. Brig Inshaw wrote that the MOD was taking “some 30% risk in
numbers
against the
requirement” and that could worsen between 2007 and 2008 when
Snatch
1.5 was
removed from service. He suggested that 808 medium PPVs were
needed
to meet the
operational requirement, 510 of which would be for Iraq. He also
advised
that all
PPVs in Iraq should be medium weight (as opposed to a combination
of light
and medium
weight vehicles, which was the suggestion for Afghanistan). The
planned
procurement
of Vector and up‑armouring of the FV430s should
continue.
583.
On 13 July,
Lord Drayson’s Assistant Private Secretary summarised a
meeting
that had
been held between Lord Drayson and Maj Gen Applegate that
evening.302
Maj Gen Applegate
had informed Lord Drayson that the requirement for 166 Vector
and
additional
armour packs for FV430 had been confirmed. Lord Drayson had
confirmed
that the
resources for those requirements “would not count against the new
resources
being
provided by the Treasury to meet the medium weight PPV
requirement”.
584.
Maj Gen Applegate
had advised Lord Drayson that 15 vehicles had been
examined
and “the
only option to borrow vehicles was 25‑50 Bushmasters that Australia
could
release”
but there was no way of acquiring additional vehicles beyond this
because
“there was
no manufacturing line”. Two options were “worthy of further
consideration”:
the
Protector (a new variant of the RG31) and the Iraq Light Armoured
Vehicle (ILAV)
(derived
from the Cougar which was already being used by the US Marine Corps
and
had
survived around 1,000 IED attacks in Iraq). Both vehicles would
meet the required
protection
capabilities; the key for the MOD was which vehicle could be
delivered
more quickly.
The US was “willing to provide a couple of ILAV vehicles to the UK
early
for
testing”.
585.
Lord Drayson
had suggested acquiring a number of both vehicles to reduce
the
delivery
time and Maj Gen Applegate undertook to investigate it
further. There was
a
discussion about “the difficulties posed” by Force Protection Inc
being a new MOD
supplier.
Two possible options had been identified for expediting matters:
either acquiring
302
Minute
APS/Minister(DP) to CM(BM), 13 July 2006, ‘Protected Patrol
Vehicles (PPV)’.
96