Troops buy own equipment

Official government figures show that a quarter of soldiers buy additional equipment and clothing to supplement their standard-issue kit. The revelation follows criticism of Army equipment by the National Audit Office, which found that boots melted in the heat of a desert exercise last year, while the man-made fibres of standard uniforms resulted in heat stress illnesses.

Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Paul Keetch called on the Government to ensure that all troops who might be sent to the Gulf in the build-up to possible military action in Iraq are given "top quality" equipment capable of performing in the sweltering temperatures of the Middle East. He said: "British soldiers have historically been forced to spend their own money to replace shoddy equipment or get kit the MoD refuses to provide. "Our troops should not be expected to put up with cheap and inferior equipment when better kit exists on the open market."

Some 26% of soldiers surveyed by the MoD said they bought extra kit with their own money, defence minister Adam Ingram said in a written response to a question from Mr Keetch. "In response to the latest Army continuous attitude survey, 1,037 individuals indicated that they had purchased some item of equipment or clothing in the last 12 months," he said. "This represents some 26% of those surveyed. 74% of individuals indicated that they had not. "

The survey does not ask the individual to make the distinction between clothing or equipment, and purchases may include items which are not issued by the Army.

"The survey was administered to a 4% random sample of the trained Army, excluding Gurkhas and Full Time Reserve Service personnel, and 3,978 questionnaires were sent out."

Troops buy own equipment

Thu, January 16, 2003

Source: Ananova

Official government figures show that a quarter of soldiers buy additional equipment and clothing to supplement their standard-issue kit.