News Search Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind Site search Web search Story archive		29-06-2005 The Scotsman Troops sent to Iraq minus a third of essential gear By Gethin Chamberlain Chief News Correspondent THE government sent troops to war in Iraq without a third of the equipment it had identified as urgently required for operations, a critical parliamentary report has concluded. The report described the failure as "highly regrettable". In one instance, it revealed that before the Iraq war in 2003, the MoD had sold a number of all-terrain vehicles for GBP 3,000 each, having deemed them surplus to requirements, then spent GBP 17,000 apiece buying them back to be used by 16 Air Assault Brigade. Another GBP 18,000 went on making them comply with health and safety regulations, including fitting seatbelts, by which time the war was over and they were sold again for GBP 6,500 - a net loss of GBP 25,500 per vehicle. The report, by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts also questioned general MoD purchasing policy after members discovered commercial global positioning systems were bought at short notice for a tenth the price of unavailable military ones. But the report did offer some praise for MoD staff, who it said had often sourced vital equipment at short notice under a procedure known as Urgent Operational Requirements. Edward Leigh, the chairman of the committee in the last parliament, said: "When it comes to the crunch, staff at the MoD often show a verve and élan which gets the job done. "But the fact remains that only two-thirds of Urgent Operational Requirements were fully delivered in time for the start of fighting the war in Iraq. Better planning and better information would mean that the MoD could be more confident of meeting its requirements in the future and better demonstrate to taxpayers that they are getting value for money. "On the other hand, in many cases, the MoD clearly was able to get a good deal and get it quickly. If only they could apply this ingenuity to their mainstream procurement activities, we might not in future see the annual cost increases and time overruns." The committee was investigating the last-minute purchase of equipment deemed necessary for specific operations, notably the war in Iraq. Among the equipment which had to be found at short notice was a shallow-water mine-sweeping system, global positioning systems and temporary accommodation for troops. The MoD explained to the committee that it knew some additional equipment was needed for fighting a war but it had been deemed too low a priority to fund from its regular procurement. MPs recommended it should put in place plans to mitigate the risk created by known capability gaps. Problems with the supply of equipment were highlighted by soldiers serving in Iraq during the war, and the commanding officer of the Black Watch, Lt Col James Cowan, later criticised the government for failing to provide his troops with adequate protective equipment. Delays in getting body armour, desert camouflage uniforms and boots have been blamed on the government's refusal to allow the MoD to gear up for war for fear of derailing delicate diplomatic moves.
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