Give them the tools and they'll finish the job

On Sunday there were two glaring examples of the failure of the Ministry of Defence to equip our troops adequately. (There were actually three reports, but the issue of poor provision of helicopters raised by the Tories has probably had sufficient coverage.)

In the Sunday Telegraph Christopher Booker recalls the exposure by himself and Richard North in 2005 of the scandal of the purchase of 401 Panther command vehicles which cost £166 million. (This was in the excitement of standardising equipment with our EU partners in the name of integration. The vehicles were made by Iveco, the Italian company.)

The mistake was discovered soon, and the vehicles were stored. Eventually at a further cost of £20 million 67 of them were adapted for use in Afghanistan. In the field, despite the cost of £700,000 on each, they were found so unsuitable that they were banned from operational duties. (Booker notes that the UK could have followed the example of the Irish and the Swedes
and bought battle-ready RG-32Ms for a quarter of the price paid.)

In the Mail on Sunday Christopher Leake describes an anti-bomb device which has saved dozens of US lives in encounters with IEDs/roadside bombs. The device is the Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kit (SPARK). This is a front- bolted unit rather like a gang mower, which allows rollers to precede the vehicle, explode the ordnance and absorb the blast of any explosion.

Recently In Kandahar a bomb completely destroyed the SARK unit but left the vehicle and occupants undamaged. SPARK units seem to be relatively unsophisticated, and therefor expendable.

The Americans are very pleased with SPARK, and delighted to use it although it is built by Pearson Engineering on Tyneside, UK.

To their slight credit the MOD bought 12 units, but they have been mothballed because the Army does not have mounting kits to attach them to vehicles.

Do we deserve the troops we have out there, and do we deserve to win?