("The Times" a écrit :‘Half’ of forces lack kit for war
Michael Smith
ALMOST half of Britain’s forces are unfit to be sent on operations because of equipment shortages, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has admitted.
Paratroopers preparing to go to Afghanistan in April have to train with only six Land Rovers fitted with machineguns, instead of the 110 they should have.
There are only six Challenger 2 tanks available for training in the UK and Germany because others have been cannibalised to provide spares for Iraq.
The evidence of forces’ overstretch, in the MoD’s performance report, is another damaging blow after the sudden departure of Lord Drayson, the procurement minister. He quit this month after a stand-up row with Des Browne, the defence secretary, over the defence budget.
According to the report, 42% of UK forces faced “critical or serious weaknesses” in their ability to be “ready to deploy”, and 35% stated they could not even be certain of meeting their basic peacetime requirements.
The extent of the shortages was highlighted last week when Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart Tootal, 42, who led British paratroopers in Afghanistan last year, resigned, complaining that troops were poorly treated and lacked equipment.
At one point during the height of the fighting Tootal’s men were down to their last 1,000 rounds of ammunition because the MoD had failed to order enough, according to colleagues. He had to borrow heavy machinegun and mortar rounds from the Americans and Canadians.
“There are large numbers of officers now quitting in disgust at the way in which the forces are being starved of cash to the extent that lives are lost,” one senior officer said.
The MoD has previously denied claims from the military that even troops training for Iraq or Afghanistan have inadequate equipment.
In a separate report the head of the army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, has voiced concern about poor morale among troops and the strain placed on resources by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In his Staff Briefing Team Report for 2007, the chief of the general staff said troops felt "devalued, angry and suffering from Iraq fatigue".
"We must strive to give individuals and units ample recuperation time between operations, but I do not underestimate how difficult this will be to achieve whilst undermanned and with less robust establishments than I would like," he said.
The report, which surveys the views of all ranks, catalogues disquiet about a range of issues facing soldiers, including poor housing in the UK, bad food, cancelled leave, the lack of training areas, and shortages of ammunition, spares and manpower.
One officer claimed that Princes William and Harry had not been trained properly on their troop leaders’ courses because there were too few of the Scimitar armoured vehicles used by the Household Cavalry.
Bernard Jenkin, a Conservative member of the Commons defence committee, said: “If the MoD’s job isn’t about making sure our troops are ready to deploy to defend the country, what is it about?”
While the Treasury claims it meets the cost of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, put last year at £1.7 billion, large sums are clawed back from the regular defence budget. A £2 billion “black hole” has now emerged, meaning that cuts to all three services are inevitable.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2890988.ece
("BBC" a écrit :Coroner attacks MoD over failure
The inquest heard how, before the incident on 11 June, 7 Para soldiers had complained repeatedly about a lack of proper equipment - chiefly standard night vision kits and weaponry.
Mr Walker, assistant coroner for Oxfordshire, said: "They (the soldiers) were defeated not by the terrorists but by the lack of basic equipment."
He said sending troops into a combat zone without basic kit was "unforgivable and inexcusable" and "a breach of trust between the soldiers and those who govern them".
He recorded a narrative verdict in which he said Capt Philippson was unlawfully killed.
During the inquest Mr Walker asked Major Johnny Bristow, Capt Philippson's commanding officer, if they would have been a match for their attackers had they been supplied with Minimi machine guns and under-slung grenade launchers.
"It would have made a hell of a difference," Major Bristow said.
He said there were three or four kits between as many as 30 men.
The hearing was told that the Taleban forces had multiple rocket-propelled grenade launchers and a wealth of other firepower.
'Outgunned by terrorists'
But even after his death, the much-needed equipment did not arrive, the hearing was told.
Capt Philippson's father, Anthony Philippson, said after the verdict: "He (the coroner) laid into them, particularly badly for the lack of equipment.
"They were outgunned by a bunch of terrorists. I do hold the Ministry of Defence (MoD) responsible for James's death but it is not just the MoD - it goes much deeper than that.
"The Treasury and the then chancellor, Gordon Brown, will be really to blame for what happened.
"It's not really the MoD who are responsible - it's that miserable, harsh, parsimonious Scotsman we now have as prime minister who starved the MoD of funds."
'Delay exposed'
Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "There was a delay, as was exposed in the Board of Inquiry, in the provision of night vision goggles.
"This is not the first time delays in the supply chain have caused casualties in theatre. I can't promise you that it will be the last.
"We are operating in very difficult, very complicated circumstances. Getting supplies to the frontline in a difficult theatre will always be difficult."
Capt Philippson was part of a quick-reaction force dispatched to assist another group of British soldiers who had come under fire after they were sent to retrieve an unmanned aerial reconnaissance vehicle (UAV) which had come down.
As he ran to help, Capt Philippson was hit in the temple by a bullet. Cause of death was given as a gunshot wound to the head.
The troops were deployed in Afghanistan to help train soldiers from the Afghan national army with a view to them controlling the Sangin area of Helmand Province, where 7 Para were based.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bu...rts/7245533.stm