14.1 |
Military equipment (post-conflict)
1257.
While hardened
accommodation would no longer be provided to 900
personnel
from March to April 2009 as planned, forces would be living in the
existing
accommodation
until drawdown. Personal overhead protection was “now fitted to
every
military,
MOD civilian and OGD civilian’s sleeping bay” and the level of IDF
remained
“much
reduced from previous levels”.
1258.
On 18
November, Ms Cheryl Plumridge, Command Secretary at PJHQ, sent
an
update on
the hardened accommodation programme to Mr John Hutton, the
Defence
Secretary.662
The advice
sought to re‑address the issues raised in the 17
October
minute,
which had been withdrawn following questions from Mr Hutton’s
Private Office.
1259.
Ms Plumridge
explained that the planned adjustments to Tranche 2, to create
a
medical
facility and accommodation blocks, had been put on hold following
discussions
with the US
who, for its own purposes, preferred the structures to be left
empty.
1260.
The UK would
need an agreement with the Iraqi Government to reflect
the
transfer of
any structures to the US instead of to Iraq, assuming standard
terms were
agreed in
the Status of Forces Agreement (see Section 9.7).
1261.
Ms Plumridge
wrote: “Balance of risk has been at the heart of the Tier 3
project
as it has
developed and Ministers have previously accepted increased risk in
this area.”
She
highlighted the cancellation of Tranche 3 and stated the revised
plan would now
only
provide Tier 3 protection for the feeding halls.
1262.
It was
“extremely hard to predict the impact of not having Tier 3
accommodation”
and instead
relying on Stonehenge. Ms Plumridge laid out the different factors
that could
lead to a
mass casualty event occurring and stated:
“To put
this into context, as at today’s date, 45 days have passed since
the last
indirect
fire attack on the COB – so we are currently a long way from the
worst‑case
position.”
1263.
Ms Plumridge
proposed that PJHQ officials would seek Treasury approval
for
the
structures to be treated as a gift to the US, in line with the
arguments set out in the
17 October
minute.
1264.
Mr Hutton
approved Ms Plumridge’s proposal on 25 November.663
1265.
On 6 December
2007, Mr Browne wrote to Mr Brown with an update
on
“helicopter
issues”.664
He stated
that there would always be demands for more
662
Minute
Plumridge to APS/SofS [MOD], 18 November 2008, ‘Iraq: Update on the
Protected Structures
Programme
(Tier 3)’.
663
Manuscript
comment Hutton on Minute Plumridge to APS/SofS [MOD], 18 November
2008, ‘Iraq:
Update on
the Protected Structures Programme (Tier 3)’.
664
Letter
Browne to Brown, 6 December 2007, ‘Update for the Prime Minister on
Helicopter Issues’.
213