Doubts over readiness of UK troops

Doubts over readiness of UK troops

The UK is stepping up military preparations

Doubts have been raised by MPs on Wednesday as to whether British troops are properly prepared for any war in Iraq.

The Public Accounts Committee says the Ministry of Defence has not learned enough from the mistakes made during a large desert exercise involving more than 20,000 troops two years ago.

The committee said poor planning by defence chiefs meant British troops were not sufficiently equipped for Operation Saif Sareea, a training exercise in the Omani desert in October 2001.

The operation was designed to test the abilities of the armed forces on deployment over long distances into hostile territory.

[The committee] have identified a number of serious issues which could still cause problems if they have not been addressed

Shadow defence minister Keith Simpson

But Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram has defended the ability of British troops, who are said to be "fit and ready to go".

The MPs' committee said the lessons learned by the exercise had only been "sparingly applied".

The National Audit Office identified a number of problems with equipment including tanks and helicopters last year.

Tanks were halted by the sand while other kit - from helicopters to artillery guns - developed problems in the harsh conditions.

'Too late'

And soldiers now poised for war with Iraq say US allies have dubbed them "The Borrowers" because they are short of kit, clothing and even food.

The committee's report said some "alarming mistakes" had been made and said there had been a "complete failure" on the part of the MoD to recognise the conditions troops would encounter.

Military expert Michael McGinty said Kuwait was already a logistics bottleneck.

"Add in delays about getting stuff there in the first place and the concerns start to build up.

"The problems might be solvable, but they're deploying a large amount of forces in such a short time."

It would be very bad for morale to say they could not be involved

Fears over UK non-combat role
Click here for full story

Shadow defence minister Keith Simpson said poor planning was a "continuing problem with the Ministry of Defence".

The £500m being spent on last-minute purchases of military kit for possible war with Iraq showed "it is always too little too late", Mr Simpson said.

"The Public Accounts Committee have identified a number of serious issues which could still cause problems if they have not been addressed," he said.

"We would like the MoD to categorically say that they have addressed all of the problems and weaknesses that have been identified."

Tory chairman Edward Leigh said he expected "no stone to be left unturned in ensuring our forces have proper equipment for the environment they face" in Iraq.

Mr Ingram claimed lessons had been learned since the exercise.

He said Britain was "ready and able" to take part in any military operations against Iraq.

"Saif Sareea took place a year and a half ago," he said.

'Logistical task'

"In the intervening time, we have implemented the important lessons we learned from the exercise."

We have got everything we need and we're ready to go

Marines' spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ben Curry

He insisted the exercise, which involved 22,500 troops and 6,500 vehicles, had been a "great achievement".

"But even its scale has been put into perspective by the current deployment of British troops to the Gulf."

Marines' spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ben Curry said troops were equipped and ready.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: "We've been here for two months now and we're ready to go.

"An operation to bring in 40,000 people is a big logistical task.

"It does take a while to build up a force of that nature but we have got everything we need."