Press Release - Ministry of Defence: Operation TELIC – United
Kingdom Military Operations in Iraq
11 December 2003
The United Kingdom’s military operations in Iraq were a
significant success and personnel and equipment performed
impressively, Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office,
reported to Parliament today. However, as the Department has
acknowledged, there were difficulties in ensuring that front line
forces received the equipment and supplies that they needed.
United Kingdom and Coalition forces achieved their main military
objectives, including the removal of the Saddam Hussein regime and
the securing of key infrastructure within four weeks of crossing
into Iraq.
It was a major achievement to deploy the large United Kingdom
force within 10 weeks, half the time it took for the first Gulf
war. The report highlights the success of the huge logistics effort
which managed, for example, to deploy and sustain 46,000 personnel,
9,100 shipping containers and 15,000 vehicles. It also highlights
new and modified equipment which performed well such as the
Challenger 2 main battle tank, the Storm Shadow missile and the
SA80A2, the upgraded assault rifle.
The rapid deployment revealed areas where there were gaps in
capability. There were not enough nuclear, biological and chemical
warfare protection equipment, spare parts for tanks and armoured
vehicles, medical supplies, helicopter spares or desert combat
clothing and boots. Urgent action was largely successful in
rectifying shortfalls but, for a few equipments, training time and
the supply of ancillary equipment was curtailed.
While the logistics effort was successful overall, the means of
tracking supplies in theatre was largely ineffective, manpower
intensive and was swamped by the sheer volume of supplies. The
whereabouts of some key equipment and supplies was unknown and
therefore arrangements could not be made to get them to the people
who needed them. This led to shortages, loss of confidence in the
supply chain and inefficiency as personnel searched for items they
had ordered or ordered duplicates urgently.
Our forces were very expert at making the immediate transition
from warfighting to peacekeeping. But the nature and the size of
the post conflict task was extremely difficult to predict and to
plan for. There were gaps in both the coordination of the planning
and in the capability to do more in the short and medium term than
patch up the existing inadequate infrastructure.
Sir John Bourn said today:
"It is not just the bravery of the men and women who
took part in the military operations which should be applauded but
also their abilities, their professionalism and their achievements.
The scale of the operation and the speed with which it was carried
out are both extremely impressive. There were problems, but these
should be seen in the wider context of the overall success. The
lessons in this report which the MOD can learn from will mean that
its performance will be further improved in the
future."
Notes for Editors
Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the NAO website at http://www.nao.org.uk/ Hard
copies can be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702
3474.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the head
of the National Audit Office which employs some 800 staff. He and
the NAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the
accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other
public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to
Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which
departments and other bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 75/03
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