If the Falklands was invaded today, Could the UK without help take it back again

[transam]

 

[Enoon]

7 hours ago, phetpeter said:

But glad someone is interested. 

 

It would depend, as it did last time, how both sides played their hand.

 

Last time Argentina made a serious mistake, early on in the conflict which, effectively, lost it for them.

 

The hands are very different, on both sides, this time.

 

Don't mean to be rude, but, as I am not really interested in playing out the possible scenarios (including initial invasion by Argentina) via the medium of online print, you will have to make do with 50/50!

 

Happy New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2019 by Enoon

[Moon37]

First of all, you've made the assumption that the Falklands could be invaded.  The Argentinian Air Force can't even afford to turn on the lights (Wikipedia" Democratic governments since 1983 straightened the military budget and did not approve any large scale equipment purchases. Argentina military spending is one of the lowest of South America^[9][10] and as of 2010, its 0.9% of GDP only exceeds Suriname^[11] ).  Argentina could only invade via tourists boats that come into Stanley.  The UK uses the Falklands for live-fire and realistic flying training.  I'm from the US and I was there just more than 10 years ago.  The UK at that time was spending $250M per year to support and keep the Falklands (via rotation of RAF F-3 Fighters, VC-10 Tanker(retired 5 yrs ago) and a good size regiment including Rapie surface to air missile systems.   I agree the UK force structure has decreased since then, but what remains of UK forces presence (continual rotation of units) could defend against what ever the Argentine Military could scrape up.  And, reinforcements only a two-hop away.  

Also, there are over 50,000 unexploded land-mines still all over the Falklands.  Once, I heard that in exchange for ownership, the Argentines would be happy to clean up all the land-mines because they placed them and know where they are (ha-with the bog by the coast the mines churn with the sand and can end up anywhere.  Just like "penguin in the box - boom!) .  So one asks "why is the UK willing to spend so much for "so little".  The so little happens to around 321,536 square Kilometers of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), includes fishing, mineral and oil rights.  And in my opinion, the British Empire took a big hit with the return of Hong Kong and there are only three territories that have specifically voted to remain under British sovereignty (Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands).  

 

My personal experience of the climate in the Falklands makes me wonder why anyone would want to live there.  But, so be it.  I have a solution:  Put every Falklander to sleep and fly them up to the Orkney Islands or the Shetlands (which  are essentially austere and bleak )and wake them up and they wouldn't know the difference.

 

Bottom Line:  The Falkands couldn't be invaded to begin with it's bleak and almost non-existent military.

 

Speed is Liife, LIfe is Speed

 

[marko kok prong]

I nominate Admirals Johnson and Rees -Mogg to press our call.

[madusa]

4 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Falklands are 200+ miles off the coast of Argentina. Do you think that all islands are the "property" of the nearest mainland country, or should the people whose ancestors have lived there for over 250 years decide?

 

A history of the Islands, written by the folks who live there ...

https://www.falklands.gov.fk/our-people/our-history/

 

 

You shouldn't have mentioned that because the Chinese is going to say those islands off the coast of China (Paracel Islands now in dispute) belongs to China base on what you said. The Chinese visited those Islands 600 years ago using a world map, yes, the Chinese drew the first world map which was passed on to India then to Middle East arriving in Europe much later and the European drew their world map based on the Chinese map. Read Gavin Menzies "1421 The year China discovered America" Menzies is a retired British Submarine Commander. His research based on facts not on hearsay.

[vogie]

5 minutes ago, madusa said:

You shouldn't have mentioned that because the Chinese is going to say those islands off the coast of China (Paracel Islands now in dispute) belongs to China base on what you said. The Chinese visited those Islands 600 years ago using a world map, yes, the Chinese drew the first world map which was passed on to India then to Middle East arriving in Europe much later and the European drew their world map based on the Chinese map. Read Gavin Menzies "1421 The year China discovered America" Menzies is a retired British Submarine Commander. His research based on facts not on hearsay.

Why do you insist in going off topic?

[madusa]

1 minute ago, vogie said:

Why do you insist in going off topic?

I m sorry that's my style. Can I buy you a drink in the gay pub in sukhumvit? More of a Japanese gay bar. Good whisky they have.

[geriatrickid]

Some of the statements on this thread are quite offensive considering the fact that the Falkland Islanders did not wish to be ruled by a right wing military dictatorship known for its tossing of children from helicopters. The British fallen were not in vain as their sacrifice kept the appreciative islanders free and was instrumentalin returning freedom to Argentina.

 

[geriatrickid]

3 hours ago, Pilotman said:

I was there and proud to have been so. It makes me sad to think that some would just give them back without a second thought, but that is politics for you. The politicians always make the Military pay for their blunders. It was ever thus. 

Bless you. I thank you for your service and it is appreciated. You may think people are not grateful, but I am. I am appreciative and thankful everyday just as I am of the service my family gave in WWI, WWII and Korea. The day we stop standing up to bullies is the day we lose our freedom and beciome prisoners of fear

 

4 hours ago, evadgib said:

There's a fair bit o'leeway in ferang pub but your posts disrespect the 255 for whom Op Corporate proved a one way ticket...

 

Thank you. Some people have no class.

[Justgrazing]

Not forgetting the incomparable Sea Harrier that downed 20 Argentinian aircraft with no loss's in aerial combat .. and the only 2 that were downed by enemy fire were by ground based anti aircraft units .. 

[Justgrazing]

50 minutes ago, madusa said:

You shouldn't have mentioned that because the Chinese is going to say those islands off the coast of China (Paracel Islands now in dispute) belongs to China base on what you said. The Chinese visited those Islands 600 years ago using a world map, yes, the Chinese drew the first world map which was passed on to India then to Middle East arriving in Europe much later and the European drew their world map based on the Chinese map. Read Gavin Menzies "1421 The year China discovered America" Menzies is a retired British Submarine Commander. His research based on facts not on hearsay.

The first World Map based on the belief that the Earth was spherical and not flat is attributed to the Greek Ptolemy ( 2nd CE ) and remained authoritative into the Middle Ages .. 

[faraday]

55 minutes ago, madusa said:

I m sorry that's my style. Can I buy you a drink in the gay pub in sukhumvit? More of a Japanese gay bar. Good whisky they have.

Hmmm.....

 

????

 

There we have the answer: possibly.

 

 

 

[JAG]

7 hours ago, madusa said:

Britain is like a man in his 70s and problem? Erectile dysfunction. Impotence. So when a country is impotence it will try to show something. But if you just give back what belongs to others nobody will say nothing , including me of course. So do the right thing.

Well, if Britain is like a man in his 70s with erectile dysfunction, then Argentina can be compared to an Octogenarian who has attempted a self help sex change with a Swiss army knife!

 

Incidentally, as far as giving things back that belong to others, British people had settled the Falklands Islands before Argentina existed.

 

Moreover, you ignore the express wishes of the people who live there...

[Moonlover]

3 hours ago, evadgib said:

 

Thanks for that. I didn't know this programme existed. I've just enjoyed a very nostalgic viewing.

 

I couldn't help but chuckle at the description of the bombing calculation system, 'All pulleys, gongs and bicycle chains'. What he was describing was the 'Navigation and Bombing System' or NBS. It was quite a correct description. Think Meccano set on a grand scale.

 

A truly amazing feat.

[impulse]

7 hours ago, transam said:

Yet one of the top financial countries in the world via a small population...Why is that...?

 

Could be because they made it so easy for the world's rich to hide $$$ trillions in assets, to dodge taxes, and to get away with it...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np_ylvc8Zj8

 

Edited January 2, 2019 by impulse

[Justgrazing]

3 hours ago, transam said:

 

Awesome Tran's simply awesome .. 

[Justgrazing]

8 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Thanks for that. I didn't know this programme existed. I've just enjoyed a very nostalgic viewing.

 

I couldn't help but chuckle at the description of the bombing calculation system, 'All pulleys, gongs and bicycle chains'. What he was describing was the 'Navigation and Bombing System' or NBS. It was quite a correct description. Think Meccano set on a grand scale.

 

A truly amazing feat.

Operation Black Buck was the name given to the bombing raid by the Vulcan and is a quite superb read particularly the refuelling program required to get them all the way down there and back .. 

[KiChakayan]

11 hours ago, phetpeter said:

Back in the day, Maggie decided to go alone,

The answer is in the question: is there anyone today, in Britain, who has the balls Maggie had? Obviously not.

[billd766]

6 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

I was a nipper of 14,  glued to the tv hungry for news.... that raid by the Avro Vulcans on Port Stanley was truly amazing, rattled the argies, I think they moved their aircraft back to the mainland after that seriously reducing their range of operation beyond the islands. Some stupid government minister gave the game away by publicly announcing the plan to launch an airstrike on port Stanley. And those Harriers..... ”counted them out, and counted them all in”   Yes, I'm British ???????? and proud.

Me too.

[SheungWan]

8 hours ago, madusa said:

From Asian country ex-colonial, suffered under the imperialists dictatorship now whole country is a shitty police state thanks to all the imperialists hard work in the past. Love to see Argentine get back its property.

"When the Lion is sick the Laughing Hyenas will appear"

When Europeans first landed on the Falkland Islands it was uninhabited. And Argentina didn't even exist as an independent country. So 'get back its property' not appropriate. Have another go.

[StreetCowboy]

15 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

When Europeans first landed on the Falkland Islands it was uninhabited. And Argentina didn't even exist as an independent country. So 'get back its property' not appropriate. Have another go.

I don't think he understands self-determination or even property rights.  I'm not sure where he's from, but he seems to suffer from lack of a classical education.

 

[bendejo]

Some of the posts here are quite flattering to the Argentines.  The Argie gov't didn't actually care about the islands, they needed a diversion and a patriotic cause to unite the citizens: the Argies are known for being extremely prideful and snobby, sometimes to the point of being nauseating (ask anyone from any other Latin American country).

I first went there in 2003, and I noticed that at least once a week the 'Malvinas Conflict' was mentioned in the newspapers, with ceremonies to assure people their sons did not die in vain, war memorials dedicated etc.  A movie was released called the Algeciras Incident, about how Argentina's equiv of the SAS attempted to sabotage the Brit navy in Gibraltar at that time. 

I haven't been there since 2011.  At that time the peso was around 3.xx to one USD.  Today it is 37.50.

 

 

[georgegeorgia]

I spoke to a pommy guy in a gay bar in Pattaya about 10 years ago, he had served in Northern ireland and had heard stories from the Falklands

 

Dont qoute me on it ,but he told me there were British and Argentine soldiers caught in houses getting it on with each other,he said his mates raided a house and they actually caught them in the act.

 

can anyone verify this?

[vogie]

52 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I spoke to a pommy guy in a gay bar in Pattaya about 10 years ago, he had served in Northern ireland and had heard stories from the Falklands

 

Dont qoute me on it ,but he told me there were British and Argentine soldiers caught in houses getting it on with each other,he said his mates raided a house and they actually caught them in the act.

 

can anyone verify this?

You wrote this, I think the onus is on you to verify, otherwise it is what it appears to be, malicious BS.

[roo860]

I spoke to a pommy guy in a gay bar in Pattaya about 10 years ago, he had served in Northern ireland and had heard stories from the Falklands
 
Dont qoute me on it ,but he told me there were British and Argentine soldiers caught in houses getting it on with each other,he said his mates raided a house and they actually caught them in the act.
 
can anyone verify this?

I served in Northern Ireland and a few more other places.
Never heard that load of boll@cks before.
Nice try!

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Boon Mee]

Not to burst any bubbles but Lady Thatcher didn't take the Falklands back alone. 

Her pal Ronald Maximus helped her in significant ways. 

[bartender100]

The British will prevail, always have, and always will (with a little help from are friends)

[Andrew65]

....to perhaps prove to the world, we were still a superpower...

 

Except for the fact that we weren't, and hadn't been for a long time.

[Andrew65]

53 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Not to burst any bubbles but Lady Thatcher didn't take the Falklands back alone. 

Her pal Ronald Maximus helped her in significant ways. 

...as did France.

[faraday]

1 hour ago, georgegeorgia said:

I spoke to a pommy guy in a gay bar in Pattaya about 10 years ago, he had served in Northern ireland and had heard stories from the Falklands

 

Dont qoute me on it ,but he told me there were British and Argentine soldiers caught in houses getting it on with each other,he said his mates raided a house and they actually caught them in the act.

 

can anyone verify this?

Malicious intent.