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Falklands: Britain Would Struggle To Retake Islands Following Argentina Assault

PA/Huffington Post UK  |  By   |  Posted: 31/03/2012 08:26 Updated: 2/04/2012 09:49

Britain would find it difficult to defend, reinforce or retake the Falkland Islands if Argentina launched a fresh assault, according to a defence pressure group.

The UK National Defence Association (UKNDA) said on Sunday that the islands are more vulnerable than at any time since the invasion in 1982.

Britain could not deploy sufficient forces in time to defend or reinforce the islands, the UKNDA claimed.

The report said: "Even in the most favourable circumstances... the deployment of additional fighters and a reasonable war-fighting force would take approximately a week.

"In effect, this means that the British garrison would necessarily have to hold Mount Pleasant airfield and its environs for a week before help arrived.

"There would be no fighter cover for the landing force and shipping. There is no carrier... There is no question of providing air support using RAF fighters.

"There are no bases within range. In-flight re-fuelling, given the number of re-fuels required for a round trip of 8,000 miles from Ascension, would be impossible in the face of the threat posed by the Argentine Air Force.

"The UK would be hard put to protect, reinforce or retake the islands... history could well be about to repeat itself - but this time with a different outcome."

The report was prepared with contributions from Falklands veterans Major-General Julian Thompson, of the Royal Marines, Captain Michael Clapp, of the Royal Navy, and Air Commodore Andrew Lambert, of the Royal Air Force.

They were assisted by military historian Andrew Roberts and by the UKNDA's chief executive, Commander John Muxworthy RN, and deputy chief executive Andy Smith.

On Friday, Daniel Filmus, a senior politician in Argentina's ruling party told Radio Five Live that the Falkland Islands will belong to Argentina one day.

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Britain would find it difficult to defend, reinforce or retake the Falkland Islands if Argentina launched a fresh assault, according to a defence pressure group. The UK National Defence Association...
Britain would find it difficult to defend, reinforce or retake the Falkland Islands if Argentina launched a fresh assault, according to a defence pressure group. The UK National Defence Association...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ccraiglamont
Sometimes funny, other times...not!
157 Fans
11:37 on 04/04/2012
War is hideously expensive!
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petethecab
61 Fans
15:18 on 03/04/2012
I don't see how quite honestly, as we have very few troops available, as most are committed elsewhere. So if Argentina is intending an invasion it would need to be soon before we start pulling out of other theaters.

Also we could not provide air cover or attack aircraft for invading troops as we have no harriers and no aircraft carriers. I imagine that if Argentina did invade their first priority would be to make any airports and airfields on the island unusable, This of course wasn't a problem when we had aircraft carriers and harriers.

I do however believe given their head our troops could re take the islands, in the same way that they could defeat the Taliban if NATO didn't tie their hands behind their backs.

But it would be a very bloody war with high casualty figures on both sides.

So is it really worth it. Aren't enough of our military personnel coming home in boxes or bits already?
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telemetry9
16 Fans
10:31 on 02/04/2012
ok. Manufactured war in order to bolster the flailing fortunes of both countries' "leaders". A nice diversion to westminster's carving up of British society amongst themselves and their "friends".
David is hoping for a Thatcherite blood soaked flag of victory to bolster his flagging ratings and dispel the "remoteness" of his privilege amongst the population of UK.
In Argentina; it will divert the eyes of the populace for very similar reasons.
Are these people murderous sociopaths? Do these people hesitate before spilling the blood of innocent men and women in order to bolster their "status".?
The gravitational pull of uniform headlines of: "David's Hour of Triumph" - "Cameron's heroes fight for Britain!!". Stories by morning television of the latest casualties and interviews with their family and how "proud they were to fight for Britain".
Will people ever wake up to the reality ? Haven't we given enough blood over the years? Haven't enough of us died for these pointless conflicts that only serve the elite? Many of us are still torn from the wounds of all those years. Can you wake up and say no? Or do you still want that "glory"?
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lenuk
132 Fans
10:53 on 02/04/2012
"...David is hoping for a Thatcherite blood soaked flag of victory to bolster his flagging ratings and dispel the "remoteness" of his privilege amongst the population of UK...."

Seriously?
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telemetry9
16 Fans
11:06 on 02/04/2012
which part do you think doesn't sound serious? I'm afraid this is serious and getting closer to looking like reality with each passing day.
I suspect certain "British interests"; have already been in contact with the current administration in Buenos Aires.
War is - after all; a game. A manufactured and covert theatre that requires the establishment of time frames and parameters. These increase political points and scores for both nations involved. ie. media/newspapers/headlines/key events to maximize publicity. This won't be an "invasion" such as in Iraq or Afghanistan. This is one of their "war game" scenarious. Carried out as diversion and to create "heroes" of the politicians involved.
God help us.
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dynofon
5 Fans
09:47 on 02/04/2012
I doubt vry much if they could the government has decimated the forces capability - no Harriers NO aircraft carriers, I doubt whether the french would lend us some!
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pete cole
181 Fans
09:37 on 02/04/2012
Why the talk about retaking the Falklands, have they been lost.?
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tickeli
29 Fans
09:32 on 02/04/2012
If it was going to 'permanently clean things up in the UK', I wouldn't care who ran the country, maybe the Falklanders would do better under another's flag.
Does anyone think our politicians actually 'care' about us?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Jerry Frey
unCommon sense for the common good
710 Fans
09:20 on 02/04/2012
See for yourself; they couldn't do it - no aircraft carrier.

http://napoleonlive.info/did-you-know/british-military-decline/
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jacksdad41
Quant Je Puis
181 Fans
 
10:51 on 02/04/2012
They could do it my friend @jerry - make no mistake about it - It is down to what we have in terms pf technology and what lies beneath. The matter will never arise. The Argentinians have neither the money, capability or the stomach for a fight. Pure sabre rattling by a government in crisis. Cameron is advised by senior officers and MOD - he would not risk such an unpopular move and the Huff has re-written this story 4 times at least asking the same question in 4 different ways. We may not have an Empire any more (and for that I am thankful) and it may seem our capability and deterrent is not visible by carrier and carrier borne aircraft but ask any senior officer worth his salt and carriers are nothing more than an expensive and dangerous tool only used when no landing on terra firma is possible. There is a fully equipped airfield on the Falklands and it would not be easy to capture. No need for carriers.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jacksdad41
Quant Je Puis
181 Fans
 
10:56 on 02/04/2012
PS - @Jerry - pretty unreliable link too - the Napoleanlive website is a crock. Try Jaynes or even wiki for independant advise. The tosh about the US navy not allowing the Royal Navy a presence in the recent Iran debacle only for the intervention of Sarkozy is pants. The Royal Navy has had interrupted presence in the area for 30+ years without a break.
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oobuc5
12 Fans
08:40 on 02/04/2012
One small thing they did not tell you a lot of the captured weapons were sold to Argentina by the british government in the first place ,after they were collected up they were sold to any country that had the money to buy them,there,s a lot of money to be made in a war .
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tickeli
29 Fans
09:28 on 02/04/2012
...Yep, just ask the Rothschilds.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
GingerlyColors
No will to change it, no right to criticize it
73 Fans
08:33 on 02/04/2012
What happened 30 years ago happened and we cannot change the past. However we can determine our futures and right now, after all the sabre-rattling that has been going on in the run up to today, it is time for cooler heads to prevail.
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Chiefy17242011
Cyber-Nat, Cyber-Democrat
440 Fans
08:27 on 02/04/2012
The question is not "Could Britain Retake". It is "Could Argentina Invade in the first place".

The answer is No.

With the fall of the Junta and 30 years of civilian regime, the Argentine Military is in even a worse state than the UK.

A quick googling of the Argentine Order of Battle shows that they are almost as bad off as the British Forces. Their combat aircraft are still the same as they were thirty years ago and most of their "good" ones are being cannibalised for spares to keep a few flying.

They have limited amphibious or airborne capability and fantasies about Entebbe/Kabul Style landings on Stanley Field using civilian arcraft are just that.

A single Type 45 with 2 sets of reloads would theoretically be able to take down their entire air force plus the combat wings of Brazil and Uruguay if they felt like showing a little Latin American Solidarity.

4 Typhoons, 1200 Troops, A Type 45 and a few glowing canfuls of the Great Unwashed lurking in the South Atlantic. Any sniff of trouble and you can bet that every hilltop will have a Rapier Battery on it in double time.

I know who my cash would be on and it wouldn't be the Argentinians.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
June25
812 Fans
02:57 on 02/04/2012
Never mind that most people on the Falkland Islands call themselves British and will fight to maintain this honor.
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1959greenarrow
21 Fans
 
17:07 on 01/04/2012
we could have but not now . We have no aircraft carriers . The labour party made us the laughing stock of the world when in power . They signed up to build a multi million aircraft carrier which didnt take aircraft. The labour legacy continues
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tetleys
72 Fans
16:55 on 01/04/2012
Christ on a bike, this subject will go on for ages, with blind disregard for factual history. Argentinas claims rest on the fact Luis Vernet ASKED Great Britian and the Province of Buenos Aires (indepandant city during the Argentinain civil war) for fishing rights on and around the Island and set up a small colony in 1828. He was subsequently kicked off by another American and then Argentian sent a Governer in 1829. After lasing a period of only 4 years from 1829-33.

Prior to that the Islands were actualy claimed for the Provinces of the River Plate in 1820 (not Argentina) by an American privateer AFTER the British and Spanish Colonies left the Islands (BUT STILL LAY CLAIM TO) during the American war of independance.

Lots of ino (fascinating and complicated history) but the one constant here is this....The Islands were already previously claimed and inhabited by Britain and Spain LONG before Argentina even existed. There claim is the claim of a short term squatter taking advantage of a home owner being on holiday.
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lenuk
132 Fans
23:19 on 01/04/2012
The Argentinians also claim them by being the successor state to the Spanish Viceroyalty of the River Plate, the Spanish having inherited their claims from the French 1764 settlement.
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tetleys
72 Fans
16:09 on 01/04/2012
The question is though, while retaking the Islands would be considerably harder for us than even a few years ago, the point is the Argentinians are currently unable to take them by invasion etc, as they are in an even worse situation militarily than we are, with outdated, unserviciable and unmodified equipment throughout all 3 services.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
GingerlyColors
No will to change it, no right to criticize it
73 Fans
08:29 on 02/04/2012
Argentina, like Britain has reduced the size of it's armed forces. Given Argentina's recent history of military coups, the last thing that Cristina Kirchner would want is an all too powerful army which could depose her. Ironically Kirchner is probably more frightened of the Argentinian army than we are! Plus the fact that Argentine soldiers are deployed in several locations around the world as Argentina is a Partner of NATO.
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tetleys
72 Fans
10:33 on 02/04/2012
Correct my friend, as a couple of years ago i was deployed on Ops and worked with a few with Argentinian Officers and SNCOs (no other ranks though as Argentinian conscripts cannot be deployed abroad) and good blokes they were. Shame politicans couldnt leave the politics to soldiers and try fighting themselves.....things would change i think we would all agree!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Drg40
Representative Democracy is all we have.
65 Fans
09:46 on 01/04/2012
I would like to say that the Argentinians should grow up and stop using the Falkland islands as a diversion from their internal difficulties but, having just suffered the Maude/Cameron even cheaper trick to divert attention from local difficulties by asking that the voter at large should be monumentally stupid, I'm not sure which is worse. Perhaps Cameron should go to the UN and demand that every nation respect his veto, like he did at the EU, and then the whole world will start laughing at the incompetent, so lovingly selected and supported by the voters of Witney.
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JuanMa41
4 Fans
14:36 on 01/04/2012
Both governments use the subject as a diversion. Same thing during the war, and people on both countries are gullible enough to buy it. Before going to the UN, Cameron should listen to what the UN have been saying for the last decades "Sit and talk about souvereignity". His government couldn´t stand the losing of the islands.
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lenuk
132 Fans
23:22 on 01/04/2012
But first, Argentina would have to amend it's constitution claiming that the islands are theirs, and adopting the attitude that the only purpose of 'negotiations' is to organise a transfer of the islands to Argentinian control.
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