Quote:
Originally Posted by jimbuna
I'd be really interested in what the intel was and who from because the size and quality of the storm heading the Argentinians way (presuming the intel included such detail) should have sent a clear message for them to get out of the Falklands asap.
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The UK sent the wrong message:
When an Argentine nationalist landed on the FI in 1967 and tried to 'capture' the islands he was arrested but returned to Argentina. This led to the perception that the UK government considered the FI an Argentine matter and had little interest in its affairs.
In 1976 Argentina occupied South Thule and we didn't react. The next year, Argentina threatened to occupy FI, UK said nothing publically but sent a small task force and the threat disappeared.
We had removed HMS Endurance (an ice patrol ship) and announced that it was to be decommissioned.
We were due to close our British Antarctic Survey base at South Georgia.
The Islanders had been denied UK citizenship.
The UK government had offered to lease FI to Argentina for 99 years (although the offer was rescinded in 1981).
Taken individually, over the course of 15 years, none of these issues had raised an alarm but when put together they sent a relatively clear message that led Argentina to believe that the UK wasn't interested in FI.
In 1982 the only way to reinforce FI was to ship down, which was a long and arduous journey. Things are slightly different now, with UK keeping its best RAF fighters in FI and maintaining a large enough ground force to keep the airfields open for the two brigades we keep at readiness. FI is firmly kept on the radar.