Defence - Third Report

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Here you can browse the report together with the Proceedings of the Committee. The published report was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 3 March 2004.

Contents

Terms of Reference

REPORT

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

IRAQ

1  INTRODUCTION

Our inquiry

Other inquiries

Relations with MoD

Special Forces

2  PLANNING AND STRATEGY

Military Preparations and Coercive Effect

The UK and the planning process

Early preparations

Did the Plan Match the Threat?

The debate within the Pentagon

3  THE UK FORCE

Effect of Operation Fresco

Planning Assumptions

The Northern Option to the Southern Option

The force balance

4  COMMAND AND CONTROL

Higher Command Levels
PJHQ

Deployed Command

Command relations with the Americans

The Land Component

The Maritime Component

3 Commando and the Al Faw Penninsula operation

The Air Component

Logistics

Targeting

Close Air Support

Battle Damage Assessment

5  USE OF RESERVES

Call-out and mobilisation

Length of the call-out

Finance and compensation issues

Employment issues

Impact on the reserves

6  DEFENCE MEDICAL SERVICES

Manning

Impact on the NHS

Medical equipment and supplies

7  DEPLOYMENT

Key dates and scale of deployment

Sea Lift and Air Lift

Urgent Operational Requirements

Purpose of UORs

Timing of UORs

Success of UORs

Retention of UOR equipment

8  THE START OF OPERATIONS

From planning to operations—what was found

The Approach to Basra

9  MAJOR DEFENCE EQUIPMENT

Overall performance

Availability of equipment

Communication and Information Systems

Combat identification

UAVs

Apache

Sea King

The Defence White Paper

10  PERSONAL EQUIPMENT AND PROTECTION

Desert boots and clothing

Enhanced body armour

SA80 A2

Ammunition

Night vision capability

NBC equipment

Logistics and asset tracking

Operational logistic support

Asset tracking

11  PERSONNEL ISSUES

Accommodation and food

Operational Welfare Package and Families

Bereavement

Casualty reporting

Support to bereaved families

Training

Post operational health

Medical records

Gulf War illnesses

12  COSTS AND RECOVERY

Net Additional Costs

Resource Accounting and Budgeting

Cost of the operation

Funding of the Operation

Equipment recovery

13  TRANSITION AND RECONSTRUCTION

The Government's objectives

Plans and preparations

Constraints

Domestic

International

Planning assumptions for the transitional phase

Insecurity and disorder in the transitional phase

What more could have been done?

Prisoners of War

Lessons for future campaigns

Continuing commitment

Understanding

Security

Reconstruction

Quick Impact Projects

Clearing up the mess (Unexploded ordnance)

Institutions

14  INFORMATION OPERATIONS

Information Campaign Objectives in Operation Telic

UK psychological operations capabilities

Effectiveness

15  ROLE OF THE MEDIA

MoD's media strategy

Taste and Impartiality

Attitudes to the embed system

Setting the context

The Forward Transmission Unit

The tempo of operations

Perception Management

16  CAUSE AND EFFECT

ANNEX: LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

FORMAL MINUTES

WITNESSES

LIST OF WRITTEN EVIDENCE

LIST OF UNPRINTED WRITTEN EVIDENCE

REPORTS FROM THE DEFENCE COMMITTEE SINCE 2001




MINUTES OF EVIDENCE - VOLUME II (HC 57-II)

Wednesday 14 May 2003
Wednesday 4 June 2003
Wednesday 11 June 2003
Wednesday 18 June 2003
Wednesday 25 June 2003
Wednesday 2 July 2003 (morning session)
Wednesday 2 July 2003 (afternoon session)
Wednesday 9 July 2003
Wednesday 10 September 2003
Wednesday 22 October 2003
Wednesday 5 November 2003

MINUTES OF EVIDENCE - VOLUME III (HC 57-III)

Wednesday 12 November 2003
Wednesday 3 December 2003
Tuesday 16 December 2003
Wednesday 17 December 2003 (morning session)
Wednesday 17 December 2003 (afternoon session)
Wednesday 7 January 2004
Wednesday 21 January 2004 (morning session)
Wednesday 21 January 2004 (afternoon session)
Thursday 5 February 2004

WRITTEN EVIDENCE - VOLUME III (HC 57-III)

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Prepared 16 March 2004