BRITAIN:Britain banned military and naval personnel from selling tales of their exploits to the media yesterday after an outcry earlier this year when sailors seized by Iran sold stories in exchange for cash.
One report into the incident concluded that the Ministry of Defence was guilty of "a collective failure of judgment or an abstention of judgment" in allowing two former hostages to profit from recounting their experience to the media.
Another report into operational mistakes during the group's seizure concluded that those involved "could have done more to prevent what happened" and recommended improvements in intelligence handling, communications and training.
The boarding party of 15 British sailors and marines was captured by Iran in the Gulf in March and held for 13 days, prompting questions about why they had been taken with such apparent ease and why help was slow to come.
British defence secretary Des Browne allowed the navy to permit two to sell their stories to newspapers, causing public outrage. "Nobody said, 'stop'. Nobody said, 'that's not right'," said Tony Hall, author of the review into the defence ministry's handling of the affair.
The head of the navy, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, said: "The events of March 23rd were one bad day in our proud 400-year history. I can assure the British people that I will ensure that the recommendations of this report are fully implemented."