The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

An MOD report setting out lessons for the future from Op TELIC, published in December

2003, described force levels in MND(SE) on 17 November.311 On that date, the UK

force level in MND(SE) was 10,500, and contributions from other nations totalled 5,650

personnel. The numbers provided by each nation were:

• Czech Republic

100

• Denmark 480

• Italy 2,800

• Lithuania 30

• Netherlands 1,100

• New Zealand

100

• Norway 160

• Portugal 130

• Romania 750

UK force levels between 2003 and 2009 are set out at the end of Section 9.7.

557. In late 2003, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff made an informal request for the UK to

consider deploying the HQ ARRC to Afghanistan in summer 2004.312 At the time, the

FCO’s advice to Mr Straw was that the MOD did “not believe that it would be sensible to

deploy the ARRC to Afghanistan under current levels of operational deployment, since

they judge that it would need to deploy for a year, and with around 2,500 additional

troops, to have the desired strategic effect”.

558. The initial view of the FCO’s Afghanistan Unit was that this underplayed the

potential strategic value of the ARRC in Afghanistan. In relation to a deployment to Iraq,

the Unit judged it:

“… unlikely … that NATO would be willing to take on the overall command role. Nor

is it clear that the US would be prepared to put their forces under UK command.

Conversely, there is a risk, were the ARRC to deploy at the head of a multi-national

operation, that the US would not retain enough forces in theatre to make sure that

the security situation could be properly handled … The political risk to the UK of a

British HQ taking overall command of military operations would also be high, and our

chance of success will be no better (or worse) than the Americans. We are unlikely

to want to be put in such an exposed position for another two years.”

559. Mr Edward Oakden, FCO Director International Security, commented

on 20 November that he agreed with the Afghanistan Unit’s initial advice, and

311 Ministry of Defence, Operation in Iraq: Lessons for the Future, December 2003, pages 84-85.

312 Minute Thompson to Ehrman and Private Secretary [FCO], 20 November 2003, ‘Possible Deployment

of the ARRC to Afghanistan/Iraq’.

298