The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
645.
When asked by
the Inquiry whether the need and subsequent requests for
different
levels of
armouring was a feature of his time as GOC, Lt Gen Dutton
replied:
“It must
have been, but I don’t actually sort of recall it now … we were
certainly
aware that,
once the EFP arrived – we either needed to move people more by air
or
we needed
different tactics, techniques and procedures or we needed more
heavily
armoured
vehicles.”
646.
The Inquiry
asked Lord Drayson whether action to improve the
effectiveness
of electronic
countermeasures or the level of protection afforded by Snatch
was
suggested
to him when he took office in May 2005.339
In a
statement to the Inquiry
Lord Drayson
wrote:
“The
briefings at that time did not indicate that action was required on
the
effectiveness
of countermeasures against IEDs or the protection afforded by
the
Snatch Land
Rover … I was informed by the military advice that the Snatch
was
essential
to the UK’s style of operations in Iraq that required a small,
light and highly
manoeuvrable
vehicle to enable our troops to patrol in the narrow streets of
Iraqi
towns. The
view expressed by the military at that time was that a heavily
armoured
tank like
vehicle would not have been practical or consistent with the UK’s
style
of patrolling
‘amongst the people’.”
647.
The Inquiry
asked ACM Torpy whether the problem was that there was
no
agreement
on what an alternative vehicle should be able to
do.340
He told the
Inquiry
that different
commanders had different views, but that was not the problem.
The
problem was
that “genuinely there was a lack of a product on the market” which
could
replace
Snatch.
648.
When asked if
it was “ultimately pressure from Ministers” on the military
chain
of command
which had led to the acquisition of heavier patrol vehicles, ACM
Torpy
replied
that Lord Drayson had “created momentum for Mastiff to be
introduced”, and
“provided
leadership in the MOD to make sure something was delivered”. That
provided
the in
theatre commander with “another medium weight vehicle with a higher
level
of
protection”. There was “no doubt that Mastiff was welcomed by the
people on the
ground” and
that they “could undertake certain tasks”, but they “could not do
what they
were doing
with Snatch previously”.
649.
Asked why the
pressure for a heavier vehicle had not come through the
chain
of command,
ACM Torpy added:
“I think
there was always pressure from the … theatre … to the MOD. I
think
the problem
actually arises where you have an equipment programme which
is
under‑funded
and a desire … on the one hand to make sure that the
capabilities
339
Statement,
15 December 2010, page 1.
340
Public
hearing, 18 January 2011, pages 72‑73.
110