16.1 |
The welfare of Service Personnel
were
holding up well, but there was already evidence that people were
starting to feel
undervalued,
particularly over the issue of pay.
126.
Lt Gen Palmer
concluded: “Every time we increase the operational load
we
increase
the risk of a sudden, serious downturn in retention.”
127.
Section 9.2
describes discussions between Mr Blair, Ministers and senior
officials
on the
deployment of additional troops between late May and mid-June. The
extent to
which
personnel issues featured in those discussions is not
clear.
128.
On 15 June, Mr
Blair, Mr Hoon, Mr Jack Straw (the Foreign Secretary),
Mr Hilary Benn
(the International Development Secretary), Mr Paul
Boateng
(Chief Secretary
to the Treasury), Gen Walker and others met to discuss
Iraq.85
The meeting
concluded that the UK:
“… should
not close the door to the possibility of sending further UK troops.
We
should keep
the option open until around the time of the NATO Summit [28-29
June].
But there
was no pressing military reason to send them, nor were we coming
under
much
pressure from the US to do so.”
129.
On 24 June, Lt
Gen Palmer provided an update on his work to develop a
package of
welfare measures for Mr Ingram, at his request.86
Lt Gen
Palmer advised
that,
with only a limited understanding of the relationship between
operational tempo,
separation
and behaviour, he was taking a “broad view” of potential measures.
These
might
include new financial incentives for groups under “critical
stress”, enhanced
separation
allowances, improvements to Service Accommodation and measures
to
protect
untaken leave.
130.
In February
2005, Mr Hoon announced that the UK intended to switch its
existing
military
effort in Afghanistan (around 1,000 Service Personnel based in
northern
Afghanistan)
to Helmand province.87
131.
Sir Nigel
Sheinwald, Mr Blair’s Foreign Policy Adviser from 2003 to 2007,
told the
Inquiry
that “this was a proposal … which came from the Chiefs of
Staff”.88
132.
The 21 July
meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Defence and Overseas
Policy
(DOP)
agreed in principle proposals presented by Dr John Reid, the
Defence Secretary,
for both
the transfer to Iraqi control of the four provinces in southern
Iraq for which the
UK had
security responsibility, and for the redeployment of the UK effort
in Afghanistan
85
Letter
Rycroft to Baker, 15 June 2004, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s Meeting, 15
June’.
86
Minute
Palmer to PS/Minister (AF), 24 June 2004, ‘Increased Commitments –
Ameliorating the Impact
on
People’.
87
Paper MOD,
19 July 2005, ‘Afghanistan: Resources and Strategic
Planning’.
88
Public
hearing, 16 December 2009, page 93.
25