Sir, I don't have the detailed information with regard to revamping the process to meet your requirement of 10 to 20 days. I do want to say, though, that in terms of the major equipment that our soldiers and sailors and airmen and women use on operations, and now specifically in Afghanistan, we've had a pretty good track record over the past few years. Going from identifying a requirement, especially when we see either tactics change or the environment in which we're working change, to such time as we're actually able to field something on the ground, we're very, very quick.
I'll just use the example of tanks in theatre with regard to Operation Medusa, going back to August and September of 2006. The requirement for the tanks going into theatre was identified on about September 6. Through a massive effort led by Dan Ross, who can probably address some of these things, working with Public Works, working with Industry, in terms of getting the spare parts and so on, supporting that piece of equipment, we got that piece of equipment into theatre within a month, in fact less than a calendar month. On October 3, 2006, I believe the first tank rolled off the aircraft in Kandahar.
Indeed, the parts flow had a different expenditure rate from what we had expected before. The tanks were not intended at that point in time to be used in theatre. So buying engines, buying transmissions, buying all kinds of spare parts, we changed the flow. We got great support from Public Works and so on.
I can use other anecdotes with regard to artillery, with regard to some of the armoured trucks. Again, we found that some of our armoured trucks were not sufficient for the new techniques and procedures that the Taliban were using. In very short order, as a result of an immediate operational requirement, our materiel people, working with Public Works, working with Industry, reacted to that, and we had vehicles on the ground.
I would defer to Dan Ross and General Benjamin to go further on this issue, sir, if you wish.