The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
489.
In the context
of a question about planning for Phase IV, Sir Brian
questioned
whether the
MOD had achieved wider influence:
“I just
don’t think they [the MOD] could get strategic traction. I don’t
think the
machinery
of government … was in a shape, phase or form that they could
get
traction.
“I know
that the nature of the way in which the US … ran an operation was
different
… so the
endless dialogue that we could have with the Joint Staffs in the
Pentagon
which
allowed us to grapple and influence … I perhaps wouldn’t go so far
as to say
it wasn’t
available, but it was made very much more
difficult.” 315
490.
General Sir
John Reith told the Inquiry that he had made the point to Gen
Franks
that it
would be essential to secure the oilfields rather than have them
destroyed,
and that
the phasing of the plan had subsequently been revised to include an
early
491.
Gen Reith
considered that it was the UK’s niche capabilities and US respect
for
UK “staffing”
that gave it influence, rather than the number of UK
forces.317
492.
Lord Boyce
told the Inquiry that:
“So far as
influence is concerned … there is no doubt in my mind anyway that
to
produce
something of a divisional size force rather than a brigade size
force would
give us
influence with the Americans in what was going on, not just in Iraq
but also in
other
relationships as well … I believe we did have influence. It forced
the Americans
to go down
the UN route … It certainly involved … at the tactical level, quite
a lot
of shaping
of tactics which we were able to influence and which I can’t give
you
the detail
of … [A] number of our commanders … at quite a junior level – would
get
traction in
a way which they would not have done if we had not had a divisional
size
contribution.
“… in terms
of targeting … We shaped quite a lot of the American thinking
…
“… It
allowed me to pick up the phone every day to talk to General Myers
or
315
Public
hearing, 12 December 2009, page 42.
316
Private
hearing, 15 January 2010, pages 42-43.
317
Private
hearing, 15 January 2010, page 57.
318
Public
hearing, 27 January 2011, pages 32-33.
88