Publisher's Synopsis
Operation TELIC was the UK's contribution to the Coalition effort to remove Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in Spring 2003. This was the UK's largest military operation since the 1990-91 Gulf War, involving the deployment of 46,000 personnel from all three armed services, 19 warships, 15,000 vehicles and 115 aircraft, as well as support from large numbers of Service personnel, civilians and contractors in the UK and elsewhere. Following on from a National Audit Office report (HCP 60, session 2003-04; ISBN 0102926565) published in December 2003, the Committee's report focuses on four main issues: the Ministry of Defence's ability to deploy forces at short notice; logistics and shortages of equipment at the front line; the consignment tracking system; and the Department's process of identifying and implementing lessons.;Findings include: i) that front line equipment shortages, such as lack of combat body armour and nuclear, biological and chemical detection/protection equipment, exposed troops to increased risks; ii) despite significant investment, the MoD still lacks a credible consignment tracking system; iii) the planning and handing over of responsibilities to civilian agencies should have been better managed; iv) there are fundamental shortcomings in the MoD's ability to learn and act upon lessons from previous experience
