The Falkand Islands Conflict - 40 Years On

 

On 02 April 1982 Argentinean forces invaded the Falkland Islands, and following a brief but bloody battle, defeated the small Royal Marine garrison and took control of the islands. 73 days later they in turn surrendered to a British task force who liberated the islanders. 255 British and 694 Argentineans were killed along with 3 Falkland Islanders.

We are now roughly as far from the Falklands War as the war was from the battle of Alamein, a reminder of the passage of time. Forty years later and the war feels as if it is passing into history, yet it deserves to be remembered properly.

The lessons of the Falkland’s ring true to this day, and should not be forgotten. At its heart is the story of a despotic regime lying to its troops about the reception they would receive, anticipating an easy victory and finding themselves overwhelmed and militarily defeated by a power few thought would fight, and which received support externally to do so.

There is a clear parallel here with the situation in Ukraine, where a nation that has chosen to live independently and made clear it does not wish to be part of greater Russia has been invaded and finds itself under attack from troops led by a dictator who does not speak for his nation.

For decades the test for UK defence policy in media articles has been ‘defence cuts mean that the Royal Navy / Armed Forces could not retake the Falklands’ as if a pure numbers based comparison means that the UK is doomed. It has become very much a mantra that if ships or aircraft are scrapped, the islands themselves are at risk.

This has ignored the reality that British defence policy for the last 40 years has been built around not losing the islands again in the first place, leading to the maintenance of an extensive garrison and highly credible defensive facilities in the islands. The chances of an Argentine military, which has been systematically starved of funds for many years having any opportunity to mount a credible threat to the security of the islands is at the very edge of credibility.

The first lesson we can draw is that the war we fought 40 years ago is not the war we will fight now. The equipment, technology and tactics are so utterly different as to be beyond meaningful comparison. Comparing the two periods is no different to looking at the armed forces of WW2 and 1982 and assessing the outcome (arguably an easier task given the plethora of WW2 era equipment used by Argentina in the war).

The second thought is that the UK finds itself in a curious quandary – there is no credible military threat from Argentina, but the actions of the Argentine government does not lead to an environment where the already low key defensive posture can easily be reduced further. The constant efforts by Argentine leaders linked to Kirchner to push the islands cause as a distraction from their catastrophic mismanagement of the Argentine economy is unhelpful in building positive relationships.

Whether the UK wishes it or not, the Falklands remain a core defence commitment because of the unpredictability of the current Argentine leadership, who seem determined to undo years of progress in building closer links. It is a sad reflection that only five years ago HMS PROTECTOR and HMS CLYDE and the Royal Air Force were deeply involved in searches for the missing ARA SAN JUAN, helping further relationships, yet today at a political level one is left with the sense that the current Argentine Government prefers cheap shots, verbose diplomacy and a desire to burn bridges to deflect attention from their burning economic car crash.

Helping deescalate the region really calls for a stable and predictable engagement which recognises that as nations there is disagreement, but seeking to move past this to a point where it is recognised, but is not an impediment to positive collaboration across so many other strands of work. Sadly the current governments desire to weaponise this dispute for internal purposes feels like this will not be possible.

A wider lesson from 1982 applied to today is the power of assistance and allies. While the war in 1982 was a solely British affair, there was significant support (both diplomatic, logistical and military) from a number of nations including the US, 5-Eyes partners, EU and others.

While this did not win the war, it did make it easier to conduct it effectively. Perhaps most symbolically it showed the importance of democratic nations standing up as a unified force in support of other democracies to take a stand when democracy is under threat.

Today we are seeing an unprecedented outpouring of support for Ukraine and their fight against Russia. This support sends a clear message that we live an era when those who seek to attack and conquer democracies will pay a heavy price.

There is a curious symmetry that the stinger missile, which was supplied by the USA to the UK during the Falklands War is also being supplied 40 years later to Ukraine to attack Russian forces. This is in addition to the heavy and plentiful supply of munitions from the UK to help keep Ukrainian forces fighting and give them a technological edge.

The UK should be rightly proud of taking a leading role in providing overt and very effective lethal support for Ukraine. It is vital that Russia does not succeed, for the same reasons that Argentina could not succeed – we must not live in a world where the bully is empowered to take what they wish without penalty.

40 years on the UK remains a leading military power in NATO and continues to possess exceptionally capable armed forces able to credibly deter and defend the UK and allies from aggression. A quick glance at the order of battle shows a force that has been utterly reconstituted in the last 40 years, and is now equipped with vastly more capable ships, aircraft, and weapons, and is well placed to not just ‘give attackers a bloody nose’ but turn the war in their favour.

For all this equipment change though, what has not changed is the quality of the individual person that operates, maintains, or fights. The armed forces of today have visibly changed for the better – far more diverse, fully open to both genders and with the ludicrous ban on homosexuality lifted, they are far more representative of modern society. The men and women who serve have also repeatedly shown that they are every inch the equal of their predecessors, and arguably possibly even better in some respects.

Much as in 1982 when the Argentine forces, which on paper were well equipped but conscript heavy fared poorly when up against the wholly professional British forces, the Ukraine conflict is serving as a reminder, if one was needed, that it matters not what kit you have, for if your will to fight is not there, or your people are demoralised conscripts operating in poor conditions, then they will struggle when sent against seasoned veterans fighting for their land and homes.

The human element continues to be the factor by which wars are won and lost, and right now it appears that history is repeating itself, with a dictators largely conscript army being routed by a smaller but more determined force of Ukrainians. It must be hoped that much like the 1982 conflict saw the collapse of the Junta, the collapse of the evil that is Putins regime, and its replacement by a democratic Russia is not far away.

The final thought is that we must be careful that this is not a celebration, nor is it a chance to revel in thoughts of victory. The Falklands War saw almost 1000 people lose their lives in barely 10 weeks and many thousands more suffer injuries, often life changing. It was a difficult and bloody war, and our reflections should not unduly glamorise it.

Wars start because vainglorious despots believe they are the distraction to their problems. The Falklands War, like the Ukraine War, is a conflict that should never have happened, and which saw untold suffering, destruction and misery inflicted in the name of despotism. We cannot say ‘never again’ for we know that the world does not work this way, but we can ensure that when it does happen again, the transgressor continues to pay a hefty price for their crimes.

We live in a world where today the Falkland Islands remain a democracy, with the islanders able to live a life they wish to live and aligned with the UK because of this sacrifice, and the fact that 255 British men laid their lives down to make it happen and 694 Argentineans were lost defending a lie. That is an incredibly high blood price, that should never have had to be paid.