Operation Telic Research Articles

Operation TELIC VIII to XI: Difficulties of twenty-first-century command

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the complexity of coalition warfare in the twenty-first century through the prism of the British Army’s experiences in Multi-National Division South East (MND SE) and Basra in the Iraq War. Considered as a case study, this range of operations encompasses a range of experiences, from breakdowns in dealing with shifting national interests and aims and linkages to PJHQ, to working within a coalition with the US and Iraq and communicating shifting national interests, to demonstrating a clear understanding of the character of the war in which MND SE was engaged.

Psychology, risk, health and deployed military operations

This article will focus on a study by the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) which investigated the risk propensity and health behaviours of UK army personnel deployed to...

Lessons from the organisation of the UK medical services deployed in support of Operation TELIC (Iraq) and Operation HERRICK (Afghanistan)

This paper provides the definitive record of the UK Defence Medical Services (DMS) lessons from the organisation of medical services in support of Operation (Op) TELIC (Iraq) and Op HERRICK...

‘A Few Rotten Apples’: A Review of Alleged Detainee Abuse by British Personnel in Iraq Following the Al Sweady Inquiry. Is There Still a Case to Answer?

Despite two lengthy public inquiries there remains uncertainty and suspicion about the conduct of British personnel towards Iraqi detainees during Op TELIC. The Al Sweady Inquiry rebuked but largely exonerated the accused personnel and criticised the Iraqi complainants and their legal representatives. Yet, a communication to the International Criminal Court, submitted by ECCHR/PIL, accuses the British government of abuse that is tantamount to war crimes. This article reviews the substantive allegations of mistreatment contained within the communication and considers the Legal Paradigm of the conflict. It assesses allegations of systematic and systemic abuse, including the criminal responsibility of senior politicians and military officers. It offers some conclusions and perspectives with regard to the notion of a ‘few rotten apples and whether there is still a case to answer.

Iraqnophobia

As the tenth anniversary of the US-UK invasion of Iraq approaches, and with the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry yet to be published, public debate is likely to focus once again on the events surrounding the political decision to go to war. However, many argue that this will overshadow the most important lessons for the UK: those that can be drawn from the conduct of military operations in southeastern Iraq, in the period between 2003 and 2007. Geraint Hughes offers a timely reminder why Operation Telic must not be forgotten, surveying the British experience of the conflict in Iraq at the political, strategic and military levels.

Epidemiology of Head, Face and Neck Injuries Sustained by British Servicemen on Op Telic and Op Herrick

Epidemiology of Head, Face and Neck Injuries Sustained by British Servicemen on Op Telic and Op Herrick

Operational Morbidity Analysis: Ophthalmic Presentations During Operation Telic

AimThis paper analyses all ophthalmic attendances to a deployed emergency department (ED) in Iraq to identify patterns of injury to optimise patient care, plan equipment tables for future operations and...

Self-Administration of Exercise and Dietary Supplements in Deployed British Military Personnel During Operation TELIC 13

ObjectivesRecent operational experience has led to the identification of several potentially serious adverse events related to the use of dietary and exercise supplements among British Army personnel. This study aimed...

Hierarchies of Grief and the Possibility of War: Remembering UK Fatalities in Iraq

In her recent work, Judith Butler offers a critique of war that revolves around the related issues of what she calls the grievability of lives and the framing of violence. This article explores aspects of the remembrance of UK military personnel killed on Operation TELIC in Iraq, drawing on Butler’s powerful arguments about the way in which some lives are produced as more grievable than others. It explores a particular set of obituaries from Operation TELIC: those posted by the Ministry of Defence on its website. The concern is not with the fact that some lives remain unacknowledged, but rather with how the loss of lives that are acknowledged as grievable is represented. The obituaries here are a significant part of the production the frame that makes war possible. In Butler’s scheme of grievable Western lives versus ungrievable non-Western lives no consideration is given to members of the military whose lives are grievable and yet put at risk in order, apparently, to protect other lives. Introducing this complication makes it possible to examine further how hierarchies of grief enable the possibility of war.

A Mixed Methods Analysis of the Perceptions of the Media by Members of the British Forces during the Iraq War

Little is known about service personnel’s perceptions of the media’s coverage of war and its impact on the personnel and their families. Using data collected from a major cohort study of the British Armed Forces, this article examines perceptions of the coverage of the Iraq War among British personnel deployed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq (Operation Telic 1). It draws on the theories of media’s effects and gauges whether hostile media effect or assimilation bias effect takes precedence. The authors qualitatively analyzed the responses of 200 military personnel regarding their perceptions of the media and supplemented this by further quantitative analysis. This led the authors to identify concerns that the media coverage was unsuitable, inaccurate, and too immediate; however, in some cases, coverage was considered beneficial. The importance of the family to those deployed and the extent to which media coverage can affect morale make the military family an important media audience.

Are soldiers at increased risk of third molar symptoms when on operational tour in Iraq? A prospective cohort study

Introduction Acute pericoronitis is a painful, debilitating infection that is most commonly found among young adults with erupting mandibular third molars. Pathology related to third molar teeth represents a significant cause of morbidity for soldiers deploying on operations. Amongst British and American troops in the first Gulf War and on deployments to Bosnia and Kosovo, symptoms from third molars were the second most common cause of emergency dental attendances (1). Upper respiratory tract infections and stress are the important predisposing factors for pericoronitis (2, 3). The potential of dental emergencies to reduce combat effectiveness is a major concern to the U.S. Army; dental emergencies have been shown to loose duty time, decrease unit effectiveness, disrupt routine care and cause hindrance to the military mission (4). In the 1960s a policy of prophylactic removal of third molars in all military personnel was advocated (5). However, the benefits of preventing third molar pathology by prophylactic removal must be weighed against the risks of complications. These include pain, infection, bleeding, swelling, and permanent lingual nerve and inferior alvelolar nerve paraesthesia (6). Over the past decade, National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) (7) and Royal Colleges have published a number of guidelines on indications for the extraction of third molar teeth. (7, 8, 9). They advise not to remove asymptomatic teeth and to avoid prophylactic removal of lower third molars. These guidelines have led to a significant reduction in the number of referrals and the numbers of third molar teeth extracted in civilian practice (10). In general, these guidelines have been adopted by the Armed Forces. However, each case is assessed individually and the serviceman’s accessibility to dental care and the effects of the potential third molar pathology on their military duties are taking into consideration. To compare the incidence of third molar symptoms and assess if pre-deployment screening could be improved, we undertook a prospective cohort study between soldiers on operations in Iraq on Operation Telic (OP TELIC) with those stationed in the United Kingdom (UK). Northern Ireland (N. Ireland) was chosen to represent the UK as although it is still a theatre of operations, in the current political environment, a posting there gives a period of relative stability. No other units currently serving in the United Kingdom or Germany are likely to experience a similar period of uninterrupted time without being deployed elsewhere either on operations or on exercise. Correspondence to: Major J Breeze Trainee in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, King’s College Hospital, London SE1 9RT Email johno_breeze@hotmail.co.uk 102 JR Army Med Corps 153(2): 102-104 102-104 Are Soldiers 26/7/07 13:55 Page 102

Operation Telic – A Personal View

Operation Telic – A Personal View

A Career in Military Psychiatry

Corresponding Author: Surg Cdr N Greenberg, Senior Lecturer in Military Psychiatry, Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health, Weston Education Centre – KCL, Cutcombe Road, London SE5 9RJ Email: sososanta@aol.com Introduction...

The Operational Mental Health Consequences of Deployment to Iraq For UK Forces

UK Forces are currently engaged in high tempo, high intensity operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Concern has been raised about the impact of current operations upon the mental health...

How do experiences in Iraq affect alcohol use among male UK armed forces personnel?

Objectives:This paper reports on a statistically significant association between alcohol use and deployment to the 2003 Iraq War. It assesses the occupational factors and deployment experiences associated with heavy drinking...

Operational Morbidity Analysis of Soft Tissue Injuries During Operation Telic

Soft tissue injury accounted for one in five of all presentations to the Emergency Department (ED) during Operation TELIC (UK forces in Iraq) from March 2003 to November 2006. This...

A Proactive Approach to the Coagulopathy of Trauma: The Rationale and Guidelines for Treatment

Prevalence of coagulopathy in trauma According to the British Committee for Standards in Haematology and the American College of Pathologists, prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin...

The Operational Emergency Department Attendance Register (OPEDAR): A New Epidemiological Tool

AimTo determine the number, status and nature of emergency department attendances to deployed field hospitals.PopulationAll attendances to the emergency department (ED) of deployed field hospitals in support of Operation TELIC...

Are Soldiers at Increased Risk of Third Molar Symptoms when on Operational Tour in Iraq? A Prospective Cohort Study

ObjectivePain associated with third molar (wisdom) teeth is a common cause of morbidity for soldiers in the United Kingdom and on operational deployments. This study compared the incidence of third...

Attendances at a Field Hospital emergency department during operations in Iraq November 2003 to March 2004(Operation Telic III)

ObjectiveThis study investigated the types of presentations; time lines and disposal of patients from the international, local and military community in Southern Iraq.MethodsAll presentations to the Emergency Department (ED) were...