3 Data Collection
13. Since the previous report in 2002, the Department
has improved its collation of data regarding incidences of deaths
from friendly fire involving United Kingdom Armed Forces and it
has created a database of these incidents.[27]
The Department's Defence and Science and Technology Laboratory
has developed a database of fratricide drawing on data from incidents
since 1950. The Department is also drawing on internal records
and historical data. The Department has only conducted limited
analysis of the data so far, but this work confirms that fratricide
continues to be a part of modern operations. Further analysis
could usefully inform the Department's and allies' decision making
on Combat Identification related issues.
14. There are, however some gaps in the data collated.
The Department has made some improvements in the collation of
data on friendly fire incidents that occur during exercises and
training. It prefers to keep these incidents separate, however,
from actual incidents on operations, as it believes service personnel
will react and behave differently in training situations than
they would in operations.[28]
There is therefore a risk that this source of information will
not be analysed alongside actual friendly fire incidents and valuable
lessons may be missed.
15. The Department undertakes very little comparative
work to understand how the United Kingdom's fratricide rates compare
with those of other nations' Armed Forces. Without such a comparison,
it is difficult to benchmark the United Kingdom's progress in
Combat Identification against other nations.[29]
The Department has subsequently told us that, in the period since
1990, none of the other major partner nations (Australia, Canada,
France Germany and the Netherlands) other than the United States
of America have been responsible for any fratricide incidents.
The Department was unable to provide figures for the United States
of America fratricides.
16. The Department explained that the focus of the
training and tactics, techniques and procedures is to ensure that
military personnel do not kill anyone who is not a primary target.
However, there is little done by the Department to collate data
relating to civilians killed because military forces failed to
identify them as non-combatants.[30]
Were data of this kind gathered, it might be possible to benchmark
the United Kingdom's civilian casualty rates against those of
other Allied Forces. The Committee requested that the Department
obtain international data on rates of casualties amongst non-combatants
but were told by the Department that reliable data on civilian
casualties is not and cannot be collected.
27 Q 91; C&AG's Report, para 46 Back
28
Q 91 Back
29
Q 56 Back
30
Qq 66-72 Back
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