Q&A: UK forces equipment failures

Interesting article on BBC website 15 February 2008 by Paul Adams.

Inquests into service men deaths in Afganistan have highlighted shortages of equipment have put people in danger. But this article also references board inquiries that also referenced "poor tactical decision-making" and a "lack of SOPs" (Standard Operating Procedures) on the ground.

The value of some of the missions (high risk for minimal benefit) and whether commanding officers could have taken more time to organise and prepare their men before sending them out is questioned. With the unpredictable nature of 21st century counter insurgency operations is another factor.

I often hear "we don't have enough equipment" or "we don't have enough people" in the industries I work in. It always strikes me that, with the exception of very small cash strapped companies, this is an unhelpful comment. It is not the absolute number but whether it is enough for what you want to do. The option is always to scale back activity. The trouble is companies seem to aim to still do everything, instead of focussing on what is important. The consequence is everything gets done rather poorly and this introduces risk.

Andy Brazier