6.3  |  Military equipment (pre-conflict)

received their full complement, and mismatches in sizing remained into the post-conflict

phase of the Operation”.240

491.  The House of Commons Defence Committee report on Op TELIC found that:

“The issue of the availability of desert clothing and boots during Operation TELIC

has been both a confusing and worrying story … MOD clearly underestimated the

impact on morale of failing to provide service personnel with the clothing and boots

which they required and expected. We find it unacceptable that some two weeks

after the start of the combat phase 60 percent of the additional clothing requirement

that had been ordered was not available in theatre.”241

492.  In July 2003, the MOD published a First Reflections report on operations in Iraq.242

It stated that the quantities of boots, clothing “and other personal equipment” routinely

held was an area that it needed “to look at”. While there was, “under SDR planning

assumptions … sufficient personal equipment” to equip a total of 9,000 personnel for

desert operations, the MOD wrote:

“In the case of this operation, the numbers deployed were significantly higher, and

whilst most materials were sent out in time, difficulties with in-theatre tracking meant

that there were some problems with distribution.”

493.  The Inquiry asked the MOD for a statement on planned stockholdings of desert

clothing and the actual stockholdings between July and September 2002. The MOD

confirmed the planned stockholdings of desert clothing was 9,000 sets.243 “Some stock”

was being consumed by operations in Afghanistan over that period “but levels were

being maintained by resupply from industry”.

494.  The MOD stated that between this period it was asked to examine the possibility

of equipping a force of 30,000 personnel at three sets of clothing per person:

“Identification of lead times showed that contracts would need to be placed in

November-December 2002 in order to receive delivery in time. Authority was

given … and agreement was reached with suppliers to provide 96,000 sets of

clothing (3 sets per person) and 40,000 pairs of desert boots. This was to be

delivered in tranches between January and April 2003. Deliveries started in

January 2003 and were complete by the end of February 2003 (earlier than

planned), with all deliveries to units designated to receive Desert Clothing complete

by March 2003.”

240  National Audit Office, Operation TELIC – United Kingdom Military Operations in Iraq,

11 December 2003, HC 60.

241  Third Report from the Defence Committee, Session 2003-04, Lessons of Iraq, HC57-I, para 257.

242  Ministry of Defence, Operations in Iraq: First Reflections, July 2003.

243  Paper [MOD], 21 December 2010, ‘Equipment and Capability Issues (pre-invasion)’.

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