MoD criticised over 'friendly fire' inaction

The Ministry of Defence was sharply criticised by MPs today for failing to protect British Service men and women from "friendly fire" casualties.

The Commons Public Accounts Committee said that more than a decade after nine British soldiers were killed during the Gulf War in a US air strike, the MoD still did not have a full "combat identification" capability.

In a new report, the committee complained that the MoD had only recently got round to producing a policy paper on the subject and many of the solutions were still on the drawing board.

There was a "dearth" of data within the MoD on so-called "blue-on-blue" casualties from previous conflicts and what little information there was had been subjected to only "limited" analysis, it added.

"In 1992, our predecessors concluded that the department should redouble its efforts to secure an agreed approach to procuring what was then known as an identification friend or foe system," the report said.

"A decade later, the department has only just approved a policy paper on combat identification, and many of the solutions required to implement that policy are years away from fruition.

"It is unsatisfactory that the department has made such slow progress in developing combat identification solutions to the risks of friendly fire, and it needs to increase the tempo of its efforts."

Delays in acquiring a combat identification capability were even impeding the effectiveness of some weapons systems.

The £2 billion Rapier air defence missile system had to operate at just 25 per cent of its potential capability in order to minimise the risk of "friendly fire" casualties, the report said.

The report also warned that the failure to develop a combat identification capability heightened the risk of civilian casualties, which could in turn undermine public support for future military operations.

"The department needs to provide a clearer account than it has done so far of the steps it is taking to reduce the risk of civilian casualties and when these measures will be in place," the report said.

The committee chairman Edward Leigh said: "The MoD has been rather pedestrian in making progress on tackling the risks from friendly fire.

"The lives of our forces, and indeed of innocent civilians too, depend on some urgent action."

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: "In the usual way, a full response to the committee will be given in due course and we cannot pre-empt this.

"But it goes without saying that the MoD takes the risk of self-inflicted and non-combatant casualties very seriously and is working actively to minimise the risk.

"Combat effectiveness - reducing the risk of friendly and civilian casualties - depends on the greatest possible accuracy and precision in the application of military force.

"Combat identification in modern warfare is integral to accuracy and precision. But it is an inherently difficult and international challenge. There are no easy answers and no technical panacea.

"Nevertheless, the UK has made a lot of progress and we are one of the leading nations in combat identification work.

"The 'New Chapter' emphasis on network centric capability, investment in sensors and information networks are all integral, and the committee itself highlights the role which new systems like Bowman and Astor will make.

"And, whilst it is important to note that there have been no fratricide incidents (the Army term for deaths from friendly fire) in the UK since the Gulf war, we can still learn valuable lessons from operations."