Quote:
Originally Posted by Oberon
That wouldn't surprise me in the least, looking at the wiki article recently about the permits it shows itself as the innocuous thing it is, but of course, with the memory of the war still fresh in quite a few peoples minds naturally they're going to think the worst thing first, particularly with the Sun cheering them on from the sidelines. I have stated and continue to state that Argentina would not be foolish enough to attack the Falklands a second time, particularly not under a democratic government. To be honest though, most people on the street don't really care if Argentina is democratic or not, they hear two words put together 'Argentina' and 'Falklands' and its OMGWTFBBQ Argentina is going to invade again. Forgetting that the low level sabre rattling has been going on for decades, centuries even. I've personally got nothing against the Argentinian people, in fact I admire the skill of the pilots that flew down Bomb Alley against our shipping during the conflict, displaying some amazing low level skill under fire.  This is one of the reasons I doubt that the Argentine government would be willing to put itself in armed conflict with the United Kingdom once again, even in our weakened state, the element of surprise is gone and there are more forces on the Falklands than before. It doesn't take a military genius to see that a successful operation will require more resources than it would gain and is thus not worth it.
On the other hand, this is a perfect governmental opportunity to push for better military budgets on both sides during a time when most governments are looking to make cut backs.
Basically, a PR stunt on both sides, business as usual, nothing to see here, move along.  |
Agreed (in the main).
The last announced British military presence (Falklands Garrison) IIRC was a frigate or a destroyer on station at Mare Harbour plus either a frigate or a destroyer 'within calling distance'.
The Royal Navy also has Swiftsure and Trafalgar class attack submarines that it can deploy to the area, though such deployments are classified.
The Royal Navy's submarines also carry BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles which have a range of 1500 miles and can strike at targets within an enemy country.
The army have approx 500 personnel based at Mount Pleasant and includes an infantry company, an engineer squadron, a signals unit, a logistics group and supporting services.
The RAF contribute:
No 1435 Flight – 4 Eurofighter Typhoons
No 1312 Flight – 1 Vickers VC-10, 1 Hercules C3
N0 1564 Flight – 2 Sea King HAR3s.
Not a particularly large force perhaps but one with enough muscle/bite to deter a second invasion IMHO.