Posted by andreas from p3EE3C346.dip.t-dialin.net (62.227.195.70) on Friday, October 04, 2002 at 7:03AM :
In Reply to: Ready for WOAAARRH ? posted by andreas from p3EE3C346.dip.t-dialin.net (62.227.195.70) on Friday, October 04, 2002 at 6:40AM :
On a more tragical than comical note.
Re: British Military Exercise, code name:
'Saif Sareea' * = "Swift Sword", here better: "Swift [-ly Disintegrating] Sword"
While most of the article seems to deal with problems of (military)
hardware the last sentence reveals a more troubling human software defect of
'reality-language mis-coordination' - a(lso)k(nown)a(s) 'reality denial':
"The MoD said Saif Sareea II had been a success in demonstrating the joint
rapid reaction force concept, and that overall it was "very pleased" with
the way both people and equipment had performed".
To be fair and to the credit of the 'equipment' it must however be said
that the latter has won at least moral high ground by preserving an excellent
sense of comradeship by strictly not lashing back against its human handlers
and by not opening an abyss of re-criminating, self-absolving complaints about
the 'people', the human material ... not yet.
BTW:
The self-eliminating efforts of the British paratroopers were successful only in part:
Just 2 servicemen parachuted - too literally - "into" the operation theater and dropped - dead.
--------------------
Source: The Scotsman
Date: August 01, 2002
The Saif Sareea II exercise in Oman was the largest deployment of British
troops since the Gulf War in 1991.
Desert probe damns Army weapons
Alison Hardie Political Correspondent
BRITAIN’S credibility as the United States’ partner in a war with Iraq will
be dealt a blow today by a report that reveals army equipment is not fit
for desert combat.
A comprehensive investigation into last year’s Saif Sareea II exercise in
Oman has found that major faults exist, ranging from the failings of the
Challenger 2 battle tank to soldiers’ boots which "fell apart".
The exercise was the largest deployment of British troops since the Gulf
War in 1991, and at the time was proclaimed a success by the government and
the Ministry of Defence. But the report by the National Audit Office,
issued today, paints a picture of chaos and under-investment that sent
morale plummeting in desert heat of up to 55°C .
It raises questions about the contribution British forces could make to an
invasion of Iraq.
Tony Blair has repeatedly refused to confirm his intention to offer
immediate British support to any US invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam
Hussein.
However, the Prime Minister’s office pointedly declined to deny reports
last week that he had agreed terms with George Bush for launching an
all-out Anglo-American assault on Iraq in the autumn. Mr Blair has enraged
many Labour MPs by not condemning the United States’ aggressive stance
towards Iraq, even after King Abdullah of Jordan made it plain to him that
Arab nations oppose any attack on Saddam.
The most serious finding of the NAO report is the near-complete failure of
the Commander 2 battle tank in desert conditions in Oman. It would be
expected to spearhead any armoured assault by British ground forces.
But crews found that the fine dust thrown up by the desert quickly clogged
up the tanks’ air filters, causing them to grind to a halt.
Conditions were so severe that air filters designed to last 12 months were
out of service after just four hours on manoeuvres in the desert.
By the end of the Saif Sareea II exercise, global supplies of air filters
had been exhausted and the MoD was forced to place an urgent order for a
new contract to replenish its stocks.
The NAO report found that although an extra 55 tonnes of spares were flown
out in an attempt to keep the tanks going, two squadrons still had to be
withdrawn and only three squadrons were able to take part in the final
live-firing exercise. The desert conditions had similar debilitating
effects on British Lynx helicopter blades, which would normally last for
500 hours flying-time in European conditions but endured just 27 hours in
Oman.
Even when the tanks were operational, the Army’s antiquated and "incapable"
Clansman radio system meant crews were operating almost without contact in
simulated combat conditions.
The troops could not resort to mobile phones as there was no reception, so
they were left to use either hand signals or had to pull up mid-manoeuvre
to check orders with each other. The replacement system ordered by the
MoD - the new Bowman system - will not be available for at least two years.
David Clarke, the leader of the NAO report team, said: "Stopping a brigade
of tanks and getting them into a huddle is not the best way to operate."
Among the other problems identified in the NAO report was with the mobile
AS90 self-propelled field guns.
Their plastic air filters melted in the heat, causing two of the guns to be
withdrawn from the exercise.
Even after makeshift aluminium shields were improvised, one gun caught fire
and is likely to be written off - at a cost to the taxpayer of £1 million.
Troops taking part in Saif Sareea II also experienced a recurrence of the
long-standing problem of jamming with the SA80 rifle.
Red tape led to the army’s fleet of heavy-duty fork lift trucks, known as
Rough Terrain Container Handlers, being in short supply because the
commercial contractors employed to maintain them work solely in Britain and
Germany.
A slow system of rigs and cranes had to be improvised instead which took 50
minutes to unload a container instead of just four if Rough Terrain
Container Handlers had been operational. However, the extent to which the
British military personnel were under equipped was illustrated by the fact
they were not even supplied with suitable footwear.
Their boots melted and the replacement desert boots "quickly fell apart".
Bernard Jenkin, the shadow defence secretary, said yesterday the report
showed the need to "re-learn the lessons we forgot in the ten years since
the Gulf War".
The MoD said Saif Sareea II had been a success in demonstrating the joint
rapid reaction force concept, and that overall it was "very pleased" with
the way both people and equipment had performed.
-- andreas
-- signature .