The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
•
Commencing
initial preparations, procurement and training for
“earmarked
elements”
of the “land package” the following week and placing
holding
contracts
on commercial shipping by 17 December.
•
Planning
for the mobilisation of Reserves “without actually proceeding
to
call‑out”.
•
CENTCOM’s
plans for the North required “the lead Division, currently 1
(UK)
Armoured
Division” to cross into Turkey in mid‑April, “followed by the US
4th
Infantry
Division”. The option needed more work, including the possibility
of a US
brigade
being seconded to the UK, “so the precise composition of the UK
land
package
will have to be kept under review”. But as it had “the longest
lead‑time
of all”,
action to improve its readiness could not be delayed if the UK was
“to
have any
chance of being ready from mid‑February onwards”.
•
The ATG
comprised a Royal Marine Commando Group and HM Ships
Ocean
and Ark
Royal, two destroyers or frigates, three Landing Ships Logistic
(LSL)
and support
ships, which would operate (with the US) to conduct operations
in
the
Northern Gulf and ashore from the beginning of the air
campaign.
1145.
The MOD warned
that the steps would become visible and that the
“current
low‑key”
media handling which was “operating at the limits of credibility,
would need to
be replaced
with a rather more pro‑active approach”. The preparations would
also need
to be
“viewed in the wider political context … not least the progress of
inspections and
their
reports to the UNSC, and the continuous assessment of Iraqi
compliance”.
1146.
The letter
concluded that, unless the UK was “prepared now to foreclose
military
options”,
Mr Hoon believed “that we need to proceed with the further
preparatory steps”
identified.
That was “a question of cocking the pistol, not firing it” and the
timelines
would be
adjusted if the US “were to shift its focus to later in 2003”. But
the UK could not
“afford to
lose any more time if we are to have a chance of re‑aligning our
readiness with
that of US
forces”.
1147.
Copies of the
letter were sent to the Private Offices of Mr Straw and
Mr Brown,
and to
Mr Bowen.
1148.
In relation to
Turkey, Sir David Manning commented:
“Recent
indications on other channels are that Turks are very reluctant to
budge on
1149.
During Oral
Questions in the House of Commons on 9 December,
Mr Hoon
confirmed
that the UK had responded to the US approach seeking support; and
that
448
Manuscript
comment Manning on Letter
Watkins to Manning, 5 December 2002, ‘Iraq:
Military Planning’.
348