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Richard North: Scandal of the MoD blunders that cost lives
WITH the 65th anniversary of D-day just gone, the huge achievement of the Allied armies, and the extraordinary bravery of the men involved, has, justly, been remembered.
But what also should be remembered is that a very significant number of lives were lost unnecessarily by a number of important equipment failures, not least the Allies' inability to produce a tank which anywhere near matched German armour.
Similarly, while nothing should be allowed to overshadow the achievements of the British armed forces in Iraq, again a number of equipment failures blighted the campaign. One of the best-known was the dangerously vulnerable Snatch Land Rover, which cost
the lives of 27 soldiers when they proved no match for the insurgents' roadside bombs.
With nearly 9,000 of our armed forces now committed to Afghanistan, much of the equipment is greatly improved but, even here, the fighting has been hampered by sub-standard items, which have caused the deaths
of many brave men and women, and wasted hundred of millions of pounds.
One such piece of equipment is the very same Snatch Land Rover. Despite its known vulnerabilities, it too was deployed in Afghanistan. There, it has been responsible for 10 deaths, whereas troops in better protected vehicles have survived more serious attacks without injury.
In a scandalous sequel to the Snatch debacle, however, in 2006, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) decided
to order a replacement for this dangerous piece of kit, a larger vehicle called the Pinzgauer Vector.
In all, just under 200 were bought, specifically for Afghanistan, at a cost of nearly 100m. Earlier this year, they were withdrawn because they could not protect against mines and roadside bombs.
Its light armour would only protect against a few grams of explosive in one of the most heavily-mined countries on the planet, while its design positioned the drivers and commanders over the front wheels where they would catch the full force of any explosion. Five soldiers died before the vehicle was withdrawn.
What is even more amazing is that, to fill the gap left by the Vector, the MoD reverted to the very machine that it was supposed to replace, the Snatch Land Rover. It was forced to spend an additional 5m adding more armour to these machines in an effort to make them safer, producing what are known as Snatch Vixens.
Rarely in the history of land warfare can there be an example of an armoured vehicle being replaced by the very vehicle that it was supposed to replace.
What is an even greater scandal though is that the MoD seems to have learned no lessons. Already, the Ministry has ordered a replacement called the Husky. But, instead of producing a purpose-made vehicle, like the mine-protected Mastiff which is now in service, it has, incredibly, opted for an American-made civilian Sports Utility Vehicle.
Launched on the US market in 2004, it was described by its manufacturers as a "sleek and dominant truck geared for the image truck market, a growing niche of truck owners who want to make a powerful statement about who they are". To make them fit for British Army service, the price has escalated to 600,000 each, some 200 being ordered at a cost of 120m.
Armour is literally being bolted on to this civilian vehicle, exactly the same strategy adopted by the French government when it ordered the very first production armoured car – way back in 1904.
So inadequate is the Husky that when the manufacturers submitted it to the US Army, it failed the mine-protection test. With dreadful symmetry, the news of this failure – and its rejection by the Americans – emerged in the same week the MoD ordered the vehicle.
If this succession of disastrous vehicles is possibly the worst example of failure, it is by no means the only one. For instance, the tracked armoured personnel carrier, called the Viking, has also been withdrawn. Although each one costs more than 500,000, they have been ripped apart by mines, killing at least six soldiers.
This, and other vehicle failures, have accounted for at least 45 deaths in Afghanistan, more than one in four of all soldiers killed in action.
If the British Army is to prevail against the Taliban, it must be better protected. This is a scandal of enormous proportions. Ministers and bureaucrats involved in these ongoing failures must be brought to account before more soldiers die.
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