6.3 |
Military equipment (pre-conflict)
stocks for
the summer. It was forecast that desert boots would be available
for
the whole
force by “mid-March”.
•
The risks
associated with a 30 percent shortfall in COLPRO filters for AFVs
were
364.
Lord Bach
chaired a second UOR meeting on 3 February.174
In addition to
the
points in
the 31 January update, the record of the meeting
stated:
•
Lord Bach
asked for the pressure on industry “to be kept up” on the delivery
of
desert
clothing and had “stressed the need to work hard to rebut the idea”
that
troops were
“ill-equipped” for the environmental conditions.
•
The risk
assessment for the shortfall of COLPRO filters “against the
worst
case
requirement” was ongoing and expected by the end of the week;
Lord
Bach
“would be
grateful for urgent sight of the headlines from this
work,
together with
advice on the operational penalties”.
•
Based upon
the current shipping plan of filters, a “two fold increase in
the
capability”
of all deployed Challenger 2 tanks was expected by 18 March
and a
“four fold
increase” by 7 April. Lord Bach sought confirmation that that
remained
the
case.
•
Concerns
remained about “the ability of AS90 to operate in hot and
dusty
conditions”.
The necessary modifications were not expected to be delivered
into
theatre
until the end of March and “would each take 63 man-hours to fit”.
Lord
Bach asked
for industry “to be pressed again on whether they cannot work
faster
to meet the
requirement” and welcomed advice on the operational
implications.
•
The US was
“being helpful” and the loan of Combat ID systems had
been
agreed with
“the issue now being how they will be deployed”.
•
Aside from
the timing of completing outstanding UORs (“which was tight”),
the
“key
residual concerns related to Combat ID and NBC
protection”.
365.
On
7 February, AM Stirrup advised Lord Bach that 156 business
cases for
equipment
UORs and 108 sustainability UORs had been approved.175
366.
AM Stirrup
wrote that the operational risk associated with the lack of NBC
filters
for AFVs
had been assessed as “minimal”. The Directorate of Joint Warfare
(DJW)
had
assessed the probability of a CW attack on all deployed AFVs as
“low” and that
filters
could therefore “be managed on a theatre-wide basis”. The UK’s NBC
capability
would be
“initially fragile” but would become “more robust by mid-March” as
UORs were
delivered,
in-service equipment was refurbished and surge training
completed.
367.
There were “no
major concerns” regarding the availability of desertisation
filters
for the
Challenger 2 tanks but it was unlikely that industry would be able
to advance the
173
Minute
DCDS(EC) to PS/Minister(DP), 31 January 2003, ‘Iraq: Op TELIC
UORs’.
174
Minute
PS/Min(DP) to MA/DCDS(EC), 3 February 2003, ‘Iraq – Op TELIC –
UORs’.
175
Minute
DCDS(EC) to PS/Minister(DP), 7 February 2003, ‘Iraq: Op TELIC
UORs’.
57