Introduction
and key findings.........................................................................................
174
MOD Defence
Planning Assumptions.....................................................................
176
The
possibility of military invasion emerges..................................................................
178
The impact
of 9/11...................................................................................................
178
President
Bush’s “axis of evil” speech and the UK response..................................
182
JIC
Assessment, 27 February 2002: ‘Iraq: Saddam under the
Spotlight’.........
183
The MOD
perspective.......................................................................................
184
Cabinet, 7
March 2002 ....................................................................................
187
The Cabinet
Office ‘Iraq: Options Paper’ .........................................................
188
Mr Hoon’s
advice, 22 March 2002....................................................................
191
Mr Blair’s
meeting at Chequers, 2 April 2002..........................................................
195
Mr Blair’s
meeting with President Bush at Crawford, April 2002.............................
198
Initial
consideration of UK military options.....................................................................
201
MOD
contingency planning in April and May 2002.................................................
201
Mr Webb’s
advice, 12 April 2002......................................................................
202
Establishment
of the “Pigott Group”..................................................................
205
MOD advice
to Mr Hoon, May 2002.................................................................
207
Meeting
with Secretary Rumsfeld, 5 June 2002......................................................
215
SPG paper,
13 June 2002.......................................................................................
217
Ministerial
consideration of UK policy – July 2002........................................................
221
Formal
military planning begins..............................................................................
221
JIC
Assessment, 4 July 2002: ‘Iraq: Regime Cohesion’...................................
225
Mr Hoon’s
proposal for a collective Ministerial discussion......................................
226
The MOD’s
assessment of US military plans..........................................................
229
Mr Blair’s
meeting, 23 July 2002.............................................................................
234
Cabinet
Office paper, ‘Iraq: Conditions for Military Action’
...............................
234
MOD advice
for Mr Hoon .................................................................................
237
Definition
of UK force “Packages” ................................................................................
244
MOD advice,
26 July 2002......................................................................................
244
171