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Armed Forces Bill

I follow the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, in his expression that the rules of engagement should be crystal clear. The noble and gallant Lord, Lord Vincent, also called for clear direction. My experience relates to the paratrooper trial that took place in Colchester last September—a year ago. One problem that emerged in that case was that no one knew what were the precise rules of engagement. The issue did not arise for several weeks; in preparing the case, the prosecution had not set out what were the rules of engagement. The defendants were of the view that they were operating at the time—which was after President Bush had declared victory and soft caps were being worn by the British military—on Northern Ireland rules. It subsequently emerged that the rules of engagement had not changed and that at the time, they were still operating on the rules of engagement for the invasion of Iraq, which were far more drastic in neutralising the enemy than anything that happened in Northern Ireland. There was no communication to the soldiers, who were simply on patrol in the Maysan province, as to what they could and could not do—at least, no direct indication to them. I think that they were operating on the basis that an officer had said to them, ““Okay, boys, now it's Northern Ireland rules; we can all relax a bit””. That is about as far as it got. There was no crystal clear direction as to what they should do. Of course, the rules of engagement change. The FRAGOS—a phrase that will be familiar to those with a military background—seem to bring in various additional rules for operations as they progress. The rules of engagement may shift from time to time, but it is very important, if there is a change, that the people charged with the responsibility—the people who will end up at a court marshal—are aware of the significance of the rules and of the parameters within which they can act. I fully support the amendment.