Written Statements - Hansard - UK Parliament 2 of 8 https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2008-10-29/debates/5f8c5cc8-04e7-4c66-adfc-5cfff3e33f80/Wri... the present level of commitment to operations, which must remain our top priority. Nevertheless, we welcome the study’s objective to create more opportunities for contact between the Armed Forces and the society they serve and for the public to be able to express their support. Where we have not fully accepted recommendations, we are confident in most cases that we can give meaning to the intent behind the recommendation. Our detailed response to each of the recommendations is set out in the response that we are publishing today. Back to top Copies of the response to the report are being placed in the Library of the House and will also be available from the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office. Armed Forces: Protected Mobility The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence  (Baroness Taylor of Bolton) Column 90WS Share My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (John Hutton) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. The provision of protected vehicles to our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has attracted considerable interest amongst honourable Members and the British public. I therefore felt it would be helpful to set out, following the Prime Minister’s announcements and within the constraints of operational security, the current position on protected mobility, and our future intentions. This Statement will touch on both Operations TELIC and HERRICK, but will mostly focus on Afghanistan. We have already achieved a great deal in improving the protected mobility options available to commanders on operations. Mastiff is unquestionably a success story. For its role, Mastiff is delivering the very highest levels of protection available anywhere in the world. Where it can be used, and its size and weight mean that it has its limitations, it is clearly the vehicle of choice. That is why the Prime Minister announced a further order of these vehicles last year. The deliveries of Mastiff tranche two, which will begin in a month’s time, will bring the Mastiff fleet we have available to support operations to over 280. It is not only through Mastiff that we are delivering a world-class protected-vehicle capability; we are also delivering Ridgback. Using the smaller Cougar 4x4 chassis, and innovative, cuttingedge UK armour technologies, we will be able to deliver protection levels close to that of Mastiff in a package that is able to better access urban areas, increasing the survivability of troops in these roles. We have also recently procured 30 base Cougar vehicles, a mixture of 4x4 and 6x6, to augment our training fleet. By taking this action, we will ensure delivery of the right numbers of both vehicles into theatre as soon as is practicable. In recent months, the nature of threat against our troops on the ground in Afghanistan has evolved significantly. It is vital that we respond urgently to these new threats to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible protection to our people. But delivering better protection for our troops is not just about heavy vehicles such as Mastiff and Ridgback. In the hierarchy of force protection one should first seek not to be detected, if detected then seek not to be hit, and if hit not to be destroyed. On the more predictable and vulnerable operations we focus, rightly, on the latter part of that hierarchy, however for many of our roles we need to take a different approach, balancing the requirements of protection and agility. Viking, Land Rover WMIK (weapon mount installation kit) and Jackal are all agile vehicles with high levels of off-road mobility which enable us to get off tracks and trails and to be unpredictable. The Land Rover WMIK and Jackal both allow us to operate in open desert and mountainous terrain, taking the fight to the enemy away from ground of their choosing. Jackal in particular is proving a significant success, delivering excellent protection, mobility, range and firepower. It is for this reason that we are procuring over 100 additional Jackal, costing around Column 91WS 22/07/2026, 15:49