SAS Commander blasts the government

[Grumpmeister]

I wonder what has horrifed the government more, that someone has stood up and let rip about the grossly inadequate equipment that is leading to the needless deaths of soldiers or that they cant get away with it anymore as the soldiers themselves are starting to voice their concerns more forcefully.

You've had 4 years to replace or update the snatch landrovers in order to provide better protection against roadside bombs but have you done anything about it? Have you hell, solders are still being blown up because you have given them vehicles that give about as much protection as a wet paper bag.

A minister has said he is "horrified" by accusations the government has been "cavalier" with soldiers' lives by not giving them proper equipment.

An SAS commander in Afghanistan resigned over what he is said to have called "chronic underinvestment".

The Daily Telegraph said Major Sebastian Morley accused ministers of ignoring his warnings about the safety of the Army's Snatch Land Rovers.

But defence minister Quentin Davies said safer vehicles were now available.

Maj Morley, an SAS reservist commander in Afghanistan, is reported to have blamed a lack of adequate resources for the deaths of four service personnel.

They include Corporal Sarah Bryant, the first British female soldier to die in Afghanistan.

The troops were killed on 17 June when their Snatch Land Rover struck a roadside bomb in Helmand Province earlier this year.

In his resignation letter Maj Morley is said to have accused ministers of "gross negligence" in allowing soldiers to go into battle without adequate resources.

The lack of equipment, he is reported to have said, was: "Cavalier at best. Criminal at worst".

But Mr Davies, defence and equipment minister, told the BBC he found these accusations "surprising and very sad".


"The idea that we have been cavalier with soldiers' lives is horrific".

Mr Davies said, while three or four years ago there may have been "serious shortcomings", soldiers now had access to better equipment.

The government had recently announced the purchase of 700 new armoured vehicles and commanders already had access to a wide range of vehicles.

"I recently visited Afghanistan, and 100 per cent of those I asked said they were now satisfied with their equipment."

Travesty of reality

He said, given the nature of war, "there may be occasions when in retrospect a commander chose the wrong piece of equipment, the wrong vehicle, for the particular threat that the patrol or whatever it was encountered and we had some casualties as a result".

However he said the idea the Ministry of Defence was "indifferent" to the need to get the right kit into theatre was a "travesty of reality that it is actually quite difficult to take this at first face value".

The Snatch Land Rovers are unpopular because their thin armour is designed to withstand small arms fire, but not roadside bombs and larger mines favoured by insurgents.

Mr Davies defended the decision of the MoD to keep Snatch Land Rovers in service because, he said, it was important commanders in the field were able to chose the most appropriate vehicle for different situations.

"The Snatch Land Rover can offer speed, flexibility and access in places other vehicles cannot reach," he said.

'Better protection'

But some relatives of soldiers who died in Snatch Land Rovers have repeated calls to have them withdrawn altogether.

Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2004 said: "The Government have been talking about replacing Snatch Land Rovers but they need to put their money where their mouth is now.

"I have been asking for this for four years. It is too late for Gordon and the others who have died but there are a lot of boys out there still who deserve better protection."

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said British troops were suffering over what he called Gordon Brown's "lack of commitment" to the war in Afghanistan.

Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey said the £700m investment in new armoured vehicles had come "tragically late".

"Many voices have been warning about the inadequacy of our vehicles in Afghanistan," he said. "The government should have acted very much sooner."

[Uncle Mort]

recently announced the purchase of 700 new armoured vehicles

the £700m investment in new armoured vehicles

One million pounds per vehicle 

[Grumpmeister]

Its not that far off the mark for an armoured transport Mort. You are looking at around £2.5 million for a modern tank these days.

[Uncle Mort]

Here you go, a quick shop on the internet and you can have three of these for £1 million:





That's £460 million saved.

[Grumpmeister]

True, but you then have to take into account the falling numbers of recruits as the constant death toll and scandal of ill equipped soldiers has its effect. Forking out £1million per vehicle is as much a publicity stunt, buying the best/most expensive vehicle available at least makes it look as if they are taking the problem seriously.

[Snoopy]

If indeed they were buying the "best/most expensive vehicle available" but of course they are not. They are buying a bunch of crap rejects that other countries have turned down..

Defence Secretary John Hutton has announced a £700m package which will pay for some 700 new armoured vehicles to further improve the safety and protection of troops on operations in Afghanistan.

The Protected Mobility Package announced by Mr Hutton includes provision of £350m for 400 brand new armoured support trucks which will be used to accompany patrols and carry essential supplies such as water and ammunition. The three distinct categories of Tactical Support Vehicles (TSV) are:

Wolfhound: TSV (Heavy). Heavy armoured support trucks - supporting and re-supplying Mastiffs in the highest threat areas. These vehicles will have the highest levels of mine blast protection.

Husky: TSV (Medium). Medium armoured support trucks - carrying out the support roles in lower threat areas and where heavy vehicles, like Mastiff, cannot be used;

Coyote: TSV (Light). Light armoured support vehicles - supporting Jackals across the harsh terrain of Afghanistan.

Other vehicles which will be paid for out of the £700m include, more than 100 brand new cross-country vehicles called Warthog which, with greater protection levels, will replace Vikings in Afghanistan, and more than 100 Jackals, the extremely agile all-terrain vehicles which include high-levels of off-road mobility and firepower.

A sum of £96m from the package will be used to develop a specialist route clearance system known as Talisman, which will provide a new high-tech way of dealing with the IED (Improvised Explosive Device) threat. Among the Talisman vehicles to be developed will be the Buffalo mine-protected vehicle and the Engineer Excavator.

Announcing the new vehicles, Defence Secretary John Hutton said:

"Getting the right vehicles and equipment to our Armed Forces has always been an absolute priority. Today's multimillion pound package shows that we are responding to new and changing threats on the ground and will provide our serving personnel with the highest levels of protection and mobility that technology will allow.

"I have seen first-hand the difference our Mastiff and Jackals are already making to our troops in Afghanistan. The arrival of 700 new vehicles will improve even further their ability to move cross-country and provide vital support with the utmost protection to our existing vehicle fleets."

In addition, new vehicles, and upgrades and modifications were also announced. Thirty base Cougar vehicles will be purchased, a mixture of 4x4s and 6x6s, which will be modified to boost the training fleets for Mastiff and Ridgback.

 

New 'Buffalo' armoured vehicle - part of a specialist route clearance system, known as Talisman; Crown copyright.

The new Panther vehicle has been modified and upgraded to prepare for its arrival in Afghanistan and a new variant of the Snatch has been developed, known as the Snatch-Vixen, which, especially designed for Afghanistan, has been given extra power and payload to enhance the mobility and protection of the vehicle.

Mastiff's smaller brother Ridgback, due to arrive on operations early in the new year, will also add to these measures, delivering protection levels close to that of the Mastiff in a package that gives better access to urban areas.

[Snoopy]

PS ~ and most of the new vehicles have been around for yonks and have been found wanting
See: http://www.army-technology.com/projects/warrior/
       http://www.army-technology.com/projects/future/

[Darwins Selection]

If indeed they were buying the "best/most expensive vehicle available" but of course they are not. They are buying a crap reject.

I suspected that might be the case. Those Columbian bullet/bomb/missile proof 4x4s are a lot cheaper than £1m.



Nice leather seats, tinted windows and aircon as well. .