Soldiers Not Given Armour For Deadly 'exercise': Families
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday May 20, 2006
A GROUP of Australian soldiers sent on exchange with a British infantry unit in a dangerous part of southern Iraq were not allowed to take body armour with them because they were on an "exercise" not a deployment, families of the troops have said.
Family members say the soldiers, who arrived in Iraq this week with the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, had requested helmets and body armour before they left because of fears for their safety.Two British soldiers with the unit were killed in a roadside bomb attack while on patrol north of the city of Basra a week ago.The Australians were posted to the regiment for four months under an exchange program. But family members say the soldiers were told by Defence they could not take helmets or body armour because they were not on an operation, only an exercise.The soldiers persisted, and eventually were allowed helmets but no body armour. "They had to fight to get helmets," said one soldier's relative.The soldiers were told if they needed body armour, it would be handled by the British unit.Defence's attitude has angered and worried the soldiers and their families because British body armour "literally just covers the heart", said one relative, while the Australian version is much larger and gives more protection to other vital organs."He arrived in Basra [this week] without Australian body armour. The family is very worried," said the relative. "As far as I am concerned army breached its duty of care."A Defence spokesman, Colonel Andrew Nikolic, said Defence was "trying to ascertain the facts relating to personnel potentially serving on deployment with forces in southern Iraq and the equipment that had been issued to them". Defence said it stood by the practice and the British issue military equipment met ADF requirements for overseas operations.The incident comes after a series of complaints by soldiers about allegedly defective body armour, combat jackets and helmets supplied to them by Defence.Some soldiers complained that equipment, including boots and backpacks, was so substandard they bought their own.But they were prevented by Defence from using this equipment because it was not "standard issue", that is, issued by Defence, and there were occupational health and safety concerns.As a result of those complaints, the Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, two months ago ordered an independent review of defence equipment. Dr Nelson told the Herald last week he expected the report at the end of this month, but that he already believed there were problems."The review or inquiry has confirmed to date the reforms already undertaken by [the Defence Materiel Organisation] in the soldier supply system project office have been appropriate, but also confirms there is more reform that needs to be done and I'll certainly be acting on the report."
© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald