Written question asked by James Gray (Conservative) on Thursday, 15 March 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 March 2007. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 25 June 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many soldiers are in theatre in Iraq; and how many sets of body armour have been issued;

Answer: In March 2007 there were some 7,100 UK troops in Iraq which has reduced to currently some 5,500 personnel in theatre. There have been four members of the 1 Battalion, The Rifles deployed to Iraq since March 2007 of which three are still currently in Iraq. All of the troops serving with the Rifles Battalion are issued with Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) which is standard issue to all troops deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. Improved Performance Body Armour (known as ‘OSPREY’) and Enhanced Personnel Protection Equipment (EPPE) (known as ‘KESTREL’) are provided in addition to ECBA and have been designed to protect against specific threats faced by personnel undertaking certain roles. In total there are over 14,000 sets of body armour in theatre.

Secondary information