6.3 |
Military equipment (pre-conflict)
433.
AM Stirrup
also reported that “a problem with packaging” had led to a “small
delay”
in the
provision of new books of RVD tickets. The last 450 were received
on 20 March
and should
arrive in theatre that day.
434.
After the
invasion began, it became clear that some personnel had not
been
equipped
with desert clothing and body armour, there were difficulties with
NBC
equipment,
and there were shortages of ammunition.
435.
Lord Bach
complained that he did not have visibility of equipment
issues
at the
front line.
436.
The reasons
for the problems were not identified until 9 May.
437.
On
4 April, Lt Gen Reith wrote to ACM Bagnall:
“I can
assure DCDS(EC) that the chain of command is working well and that
an
embedded
DPA LO [Liaison Officer] in theatre would have made no difference
to
the current
situation. My staff monitor equipment availability on a daily basis
and the
DLO LO
embedded in my Headquarters liaises regularly with relevant IPTs
and other
agencies
concerning the flow of UORs from industry into
theatre.”214
438.
On
8 April, Lord Bach’s Private Office wrote to Brigadier Derek
Jeffrey, MOD
Director of
Logistics Operations,215
seeking
clarity on the reliability of AFVs following
a negative
press article.216
439.
The article
had also suggested that there was a shortage of desert clothing
and
boots which
sat “a little oddly with the assurances that the Minister has
repeatedly been
given about
the availability of clothing and the arrangements for distributing
it in theatre”.
440.
Lord Bach’s
Private Office wrote:
“The fact
that there are continued rumblings about such basic requirements as
this
begs a
wider question: are there other items that have been delivered by
industry to
the
department but have yet to be distributed to all those that need
them in theatre?
Lord Bach
has been briefed over recent weeks on the acceptance into service
of a
range of
UORs. But he has very little visibility of the extent to which such
items have
actually
reached the front line.”
441.
Brig Jeffrey
replied on 10 April.217
214
Minute CJO
to MA/VCDS, 4 April 2003, ‘Combat ID and ECBA’.
215
Brigadier
Jeffrey’s name does not appear in the document but MOD has
confirmed to the Inquiry that
he was the
post holder at that time.
216
Minute
PS/Minister(DP) to D Log Ops, 8 April 2003, ‘Iraq: Op TELIC
UORs – Delivery’.
217
Minute D
Logs Ops to PS/Minister(DP), 10 April 2003 ‘IRAQ: Op TELIC
UORs – Delivery’.
69