The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
such as
dealing with EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] and WMD, together
with
continued
military operations to root out ongoing resistance and security
threats.
“Potential
Contributions to UK-led Division. We have begun the ‘bottom-up’
process
of sounding
out potential Coalition partners … but this has so far not produced
many
firm or
militarily significant offers …
“UK
conditions. In the absence of an agreed set of tasks, and knowledge
of Coalition
contributions,
the level of support we will require from US
is
difficult to determine.
The aim
should be for Coalition partners to be as self-sustaining as
possible, but
outside
established European partners, this is difficult to conceive. In
most scenarios
we can say
therefore that we shall need support from US or Coalition
partners
in areas
such as medical support, engineering, support helicopters,
logistics and
reconnaissance.
Politically, we also need to bottom out the ‘vital role’ for the
UN.”
619.
Adm Boyce
informed the Ad Hoc Meeting on Iraq on 14 April that the
military
campaign
was coming to an end.363
Consideration
was being given to the security
management
of the post-conflict phase, where the UK Division might take
charge
of two provinces
and supervise a further two with other troops joining the
Coalition
for that
purpose.
620.
Adm Boyce’s
other points are set out earlier in this Section.
621.
On 14
April, Lt Gen Reith recommended to the Chiefs of Staff that the
UK
AOR should
be “based on” Basra and Maysan provinces.
622.
Expansion
into other provinces should be subject to extra Coalition
support
and a US
request.
623.
Levels of
consent in the South-East were expected to rise from
“medium”
to “high”
as Phase IV progressed, but would be kept under
review.
624.
Lt Gen Reith
recommended to the Chiefs of Staff on 14 April that:
•
the UK AOR
should be “based on” Basra and Maysan provinces;
•
with a
divisional headquarters deployed, the UK had the potential to
expand the
AOR to
include two other provinces, “probably Dhi Qar and Wasit, subject
to
Coalition
support, and a US request”;
•
“operational
situation permitting”, the Chiefs of Staff should approve the
early
extraction
of land forces “needed for roulement [the rotation of combat
units]
625.
Lt Gen Reith
explained that, because most troops had deployed between
January
and March
and fighting had continued for several weeks in demanding
environmental
363
Minutes, 14
April 2003, Ad Hoc Meeting on Iraq.
364
Paper
Reith, 14 April 2003, ‘Phase 4 – Roulement/Recovery of UK Land
Forces’.
110