Phil Goff
Defence Spokesperson
Labour
05 May 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT
Leaked Court of Inquiry Report Reveals Critical Deficiencies
The Court of Inquiry Report into the sudden death of Corporal Doug Hughes in Afghanistan reveals critical deficiencies
in the training and deployment of Kiwi troops that this Government has tried to hide, says Labour’s Defence spokesperson
Phil Goff.
“The Defence Minister refused to release this report, claiming it should be suppressed because of privacy issues. But a
leaked copy shows that it’s not privacy he’s worried about. It’s the damning revelations about inadequate training,
preparation and management of troops in the field that he wanted to cover up.
“The report reveals that the commanding officer was not confident troops being sent to Bamyan were adequately prepared
but felt he had no choice but to deploy them anyway,” said Phil Goff.
It also found that:
• Critical training for troops was reduced from 5 to 3 weeks because of a dramatic shortage of personnel created by
Rugby World Cup demands
• This shortcut resulted in training outcomes not being achieved, including identification and management of stress
• Medical officers received only a ‘very rushed hour-long presentation’ on critical incident stress management on the
flight from Auckland to Darwin
• The pressure caused by RWC commitments also resulted in the deployment being extended by two months and there was no
provision for leave breaks, leaving soldiers ‘exhausted’ at the end of the tour.
“The report found these issues didn’t ‘directly’ contribute to Doug Hughes’ tragic death. But the investigation into it
has exposed serious failings that put all troops in the Bamyan deployment at considerable risk.
“If the Defence Minister had his way, this report would never have seen the light of day. He’s been dishonest about the
reason why he refused to release it and now we know why.
“He must immediately implement the report’s recommendations so that in future pre-deployment training is properly
carried out and leave breaks are provided for.
“The Government has been negligent in not providing properly for our soldiers. They’re putting their lives at risk
serving their country and they deserve better. These kinds of short-cuts must never happen again,” said Phil Goff.
ENDS