Provocation thread fails miserably as it turns into intelligent discussion shocker
There is no way the Argentines would even attempt another invasion, let alone prevail in a shooting war. They were beaten so soundly in the ground war that I doubt the memory has had chance to fade. Despite occupying every mountaintop around Stanley, in fortified positions with artillery support, mortars, heavy machineguns, air support, etc., in each battle they managed to lose more men than the attackers - a stunning reversal of the traditional battle equation that attacking forces are expected to lose two men for every defender killed.
Moreover, you have hundreds of thousands of British troops, airmen and sailors battle-experienced from eight years fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, while the Argentine forces have little on their side except macho propaganda about "Islas Malvinas".
Astute and the first Type 45s are just about to come on stream in the next month or so, albeit in less numbers than expected (or needed). These are
the premier units in their class, and there is also the
Bay Class, HMS
Ocean,
Albion and
Bulwark, the 23s and Batch 3 22s - all world-class vessels light years ahead of anything we fielded in 1982 (the Type 12s still had steam propulsion, for God's sake).
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On their own Britain couldn't hold the islands, but they couldn't hold it last time without allied help. It is half a globe away from Britain.
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Hmm, you mean the old Sidewinder chestnut, about the missiles which were already paid for and in the UK inventory when the war began (the US only released NATO stocks to replace those used)? Even then, as Sharkey Ward revealed, every Harrier missile kill was rear-aspect, so it had a far less dramatic impact than commonly held...though that never stopped the US manufacturer promoting the story at every turn. And as for the US providing fuel and facilities on Ascension Island - well, it's the least they could do for an ally, given that the British government has let them stay there for decades rent-free!
It's bad enough that American popular history writes their allies out of conflicts (British in WWII, Australians and Kiwis in Vietnam, UN in Korea, coalition in GW1, etc) without writing themselves
into wars they had almost nothing to do with.