Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Accepted
The UK contribution to the war in Afghanistan took the lives of 457 UK armed...
Recommendation
The UK contribution to the war in Afghanistan took the lives of 457 UK armed forces personnel and injured thousands more, and cost more than £27 billion. The evacuation from Afghanistan in August 2021 resulted in 15,000 people being brought to the UK but left many behind. It is therefore of critical importance that the UK Government conduct an open, honest and detailed review of the UK’s involvement in the country. This review should include military operations and political decisions covering the full timeline of the UK’s involvement, from the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 and the invocation of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, to the evacuation from Kabul in August 2021. This thinking would have been helpful to contribute to the update to the Integrated Review that is currently under way. (Paragraph 65) 24 Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Government Response Summary
The government states that it already conducts numerous reviews and has an active lessons process, and that the value of a further wide-ranging review is limited and doesn't coincide with the Integrated Review (Refresh).
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We agree it is vitally important that HMG conducts honest, timely and accurate reviews of operations. The MOD has an active and constantly evolving lessons process headed by the Vice Chief of Defence Staff (VCDS). Over the 20-year Afghanistan Campaign the MOD conducted numerous studies, capability audits, Military Judgement Panels (MJP) and campaign reviews ranging from Op HERRICK to Op PITTING. Numerous lessons from the tactical to the strategic (with many above the classification of this report) have been gathered and analysed with many processes and procedures adjusted as a result. NATO has its own lessons procedures and review mechanisms which UK staff contribute to. Defence worked closely with the FCDO after Op PITTING and shared lessons. Good progress has been made with changes to doctrine through the Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) and this is being done in concert with the FCDO and OGDs. The Whitehall Overseas Crisis Risk Committee has been formed and is at the early stages of full capability looking at shared awareness and crisis preparedness. Lessons learnt from Afghanistan have contributed to the revised thinking present in the Integrated Review (Refresh) work. The MOD assesses that the value of a further wide- ranging review of the totality of the Afghanistan Campaign is limited, would absorb considerable resource and does not coincide with the now-published Integrated Review (Refresh).