6.3 |
Military equipment (pre-conflict)
396.
Those included
NAIADS, RVDs and NBC water bottle tops. The replacement
to
NAIADs
would not be available before April, RVDs should be delivered into
theatre by
14 March
and “industry was working flat out” to try and overcome the problem
of water
bottle
tops. The Chiefs of Staff would discuss NBC at their next
meeting.
397.
The meeting
also noted that the sustainability of helicopters was “a
concern,
including
sand filters for Lynx” aircraft.
398.
A ‘CBRN Risk
Overview’ was circulated to the Chiefs of Staff on
3 March.194
It stated:
“For
operations launched at 15th March 03 we believe that our overall
CBRN
defence
remains fragile against a sustained CBRN attack … Against the more
likely
scenario of
occasional limited short range attacks our defences are less
fragile. The
fragile
assessment is based on a combination of the quality and quantity of
some
key
equipment, the lack of priority to deploy equipment via AT [Air
Transport] (PJHQ
assessment
is that these items are low priority assets) to front line
personnel and on
the
estimated CBRN training state. Further equipment improvements will
be limited
even as at
15th April.”
399.
On
4 March, Lord Bach and Dr Lewis Moonie, Parliamentary Under
Secretary of
State for
Defence and Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, received a briefing
about “a number
of CBRN
issues currently running” in the media.195
It stated
that, “given the WMD context
of our case
for confronting Saddam Hussein”, it was important to “first
emphasise our
overall
confidence in our NBC defence against any perceived
threat”.
400.
If the UK’s
assessment that CBRN defences were fragile became more
widely
known,
Ministers should adopt the line that they were not prepared to
comment and that
“the
protection of our people is our top priority”.
401.
Internally, it
was “imperative” that personnel had confidence in the CBRN
protective
measures in
place and an “open and honest dialogue” about any shortfalls should
be
adopted,
reassuring them about “the robustness of the overall system”. The
areas where
progress
had been made should be stressed.
402.
A separate
annex provided lines to take against each of the NBC equipment
items
that could
raise concerns.
403.
At the Chiefs
of Staff meeting on 5 March, Rear Admiral Charles Style,
Capability
Manager
(Strategic Development), said that CBRN risks were “attracting
Ministerial
attention”.196
Lord Bach
had asked that “CBRN issues” be given priority for air
transport,
which was
being done in conjunction with the Operational Command’s
priorities.
194
Minute DJW
and D CBW Pol to COSSEC, 3 March 2003, ‘Iraq Contingency
Planning – 4th CBRN
Risk Overview’.
195
Minute
Howard to PS/Min(DP), 4 March 2003, ‘Presentation Aspects of
CBRN’.
196
Minutes,
Chiefs of Staff meeting, 5 March 2003.
63