Soldiers warning over lack of equipment

[SO19]

Troops' warning over lack of equipment

By Thomas Harding
Last Updated: 2:37am GMT 18/03/2008

Soldiers have warned the Government that their lives are being put at risk by a lack of equipment for training prior to their deployment on the front line.

Paratroopers due to go out to Afghanistan this week have been unable to train with night vision goggles because the Ministry of Defence cannot afford to buy enough.

The news comes just weeks after the inquest into the death of Capt James Philippson, 29, the first British fatality in Helmand province, in which the Government was severely criticised for sending troops into combat without night vision goggles.

Andrew Walker, the coroner, accused the Government of an "unforgivable breach of trust" in allowing soldiers to be defeated "not by the terrorists but by the lack of basic equipment".

While the MoD says it has sorted out the shortage of night vision goggles in Afghanistan with urgent orders, not enough have been bought for training back home.

Not only are the goggles important for giving troops the edge over the enemy on night patrols but they are vital for army drivers who use the roads at night without lights.

Soldiers deploying there this summer have now warned of further unnecessary deaths.

"This will end up killing people," said a Para about to deploy to Afghanistan. "Driving at night is particularly difficult and without any practice people will crash their wagons and kill each other, especially during a contact scenario when people generally speed to get out of it."

While much equipment has been provided under the Operational Equipment Training Package, the Paras are furious they have not been supplied with night vision goggles, particularly a sophisticated binocular set called Lucie goggles.

The goggles allow troops to line up a laser mounted on their rifle on to a target up to 100 yards away, allowing them to hit with near 100 per cent accuracy.

Sources within Capt Philippson's regiment have also reacted furiously to the shortage.

A source at 7 Para said: "The regiment is pretty upset about it as you can imagine. We are just getting goggles straight from the regiment that we are replacing in theatre."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ers318.xml

[IrishDigger]

Things are not getting any better!

Paratroopers forced to practise parachute jumps in a wind tunnel due to shortage of planes

[Greenronnie]

Things are not getting any better!

Paratroopers forced to practise parachute jumps in a wind tunnel due to shortage of planes

That article is a complete load of crap, the PF have been using it as an additional training aid, not 'instead of'. They are all away anyway!