British Helmand veterans dispatched to defend Falklands

[Reece]

The 150 infantrymen of B Company 2 Mercian will spend two months on the tour, after coming home last March from the Nahr-e Saraj in Afghanistan's Helmand province, it was reported.
They are expected to join more than 1,000 other service personnel together with four Typhoon jets and Royal Navy vessels sent to protect the Falklands.
Lt Col Paul "Shove" Gilby, commanding officer of 2 Mercian, told The Sun most would fly out in the next fortnight.

He said: "Their role will be to undertake regular patrols protecting key locations. They are ready to protect the islands and reassure people who live there."
It comes after David Cameron made clear this week that Britain had "strong defences in place on the Falkland Islands".

Argentina has condemned what it described as Mr Cameron's "military threats" and its president Cristina Kirchner last April accused Britain of "militarising" the South Atlantic when the state-of-the-art HMS Dauntless was deployed to the islands.

Last week Mrs Kirchner took out advertisements in UK newspapers last week demanding the islands come under Argentine sovereignty.
Britain keeps a garrison on the Falklands, based at Mount Pleasant, of around 1,200 troops. Mrs Kirchner reignited debate over what Argentina calls the Malvinas in 2010 when British companies began exploring for oil off the islands.

Her aggressive discourse intensified last year with the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict.
Britain says Argentina should respect the islanders' right to self-determination, but the stance is rejected by Buenos Aires, which insists the UK illegally occupied the islands in 1833.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Our overall military posture on the Islands is unchanged and they remain well protected."

Also: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/01/falklands-redux-is-president-kirchner-south-americas-biggest-troll/267067/

[Mikal]

Who discovered the islands? The UK, who stepped foot on the islands first? British people, who colonised the islands first? French people, who kicked the French back off the islands? British people, who still lives on and defends the islands today? British people.

The islands were never Argentinian, the first person to step foot on them was British, Argentina uses the islands to distract their citizens from the more important problems that they have, just as they did when they invaded all them years ago, good job Britain for keeping them and ignoring both Argentina and the USA who insists the UK should hand the islands over, and to state a fact, the only reason the US doesn't want the islands to be British is because they 1. Don't want the UK to have territory so close to them, 2. Want the oil thats down there, 3. Don't want the UK to have all that antarctic territiry (Queen Elizabeth Land).

Argentina won't dare to attack the islands today, for starters the UK has the worlds most powerful submarines and battle ships, not to mention them special forces..

[CBFasi]

battleships... last British one was HMS Vanguard.. and that got scrapped decades ago.

However... we do have some rather good warships, and I am sure if the Falklands got invaded, other nations would be less likely to stand on the side lines like before..

[Mikal]

battleships... last British one was HMS Vanguard.. and that got scrapped decades ago.

However... we do have some rather good warships, and I am sure if the Falklands got invaded, other nations would be less likely to stand on the side lines like before..

Other nations wouldn't get involved is what I've read, the US would especially not help the UK as they wan't the UK to lose the islands anyway.

And battleships/warships, I didn't realise there was a difference until now..
All sounded the same to me.

Oh and not to mention the sanctions the UN would put on Argentina if they invaded British territory, thats another deterant.

[ElMartu]

Not like Argentina will every try anything. After the last dictatorship, the army got completely dismantled, it's almost non existent by now.

Other nations wouldn't get involved is what I've read, the US would especially not help the UK as they wan't the UK to lose the islands anyway.

Really?

[CBFasi]

Other nations wouldn't get involved is what I've read, the US would especially not help the UK as they wan't the UK to lose the islands anyway.

I never said the US, and the US gets more from the UK being British than any other nation, this is one thing I can be certain on.

However as has been said the Argentine military is not even as strong as it was in 1982 so would have a hard job of taking the islands now.

Argentinians are a proud people, and so are the Falkland Islanders, it would be a sad world if war broke out over a location that started out as an uninhabited group of islands.

War should be the last resort, but many should remember that in 1982 the Argentine government decided NOT to talk, but to invade..

[Mikal]

Not like Argentina will every try anything. After the last dictatorship, the army got completely dismantled, it's almost non existent by now.

Really?

Yes, theres oil down there.. And the US have said the UK should give the Falklands to Argentina for years, let alone they said it last week.

I never said the US, and the US gets more from the UK being British than any other nation, this is one thing I can be certain on.

However as has been said the Argentine military is not even as strong as it was in 1982 so would have a hard job of taking the islands now.

Argentinians are a proud people, and so are the Falkland Islanders, it would be a sad world if war broke out over a location that started out as an uninhabited group of islands.

War should be the last resort, but many should remember that in 1982 the Argentine government decided NOT to talk, but to invade..

Today the Argentinian government choose not to talk, instead they moan to the UN about how the islands are theirs (lies), they continuously send single sentence messages and hints to the UK saying that the UK must give the islands to them, so the only way to shut them up it seems is to start a war over it, it'd need to be Argentina that starts the war however, the UK has changed alot since the British Empire and focuses on homeland defence, not invasion, that is why I guess the UK is the hardest place any country could possibly think of invading, however there are signs that the UK is preparing for war, they have 2 technological masterpieces in production (the 2 new aircraft carriers) and a submarine with more anti ship missiles than personel, in my opinion, after the UK has hold this referendum in which the Falklands islanders will choose to be British or Argentinian, if the vote stays UK which it most likely will, the UK needs to say to Argentina 'Shut the f**k up or invade' because thats the only way this whole situation will end.

[Reece]

Yes, theres oil down there.. And the US have said the UK should give the Falklands to Argentina for years, let alone they said it last week.

What? No

http://www.defencemanagement.com/news_story.asp?id=19185

[Mikal]

What? No

http://www.defencemanagement.com/news_story.asp?id=19185

He said that to Cameron face to face, however soon after, I saw on BBC News that the Obama party (or whatever they are called) says the UK needs to hand over the Falklands.

[Reece]

He said that to Cameron face to face, however soon after, I saw on BBC News that the Obama party (or whatever they are called) says the UK needs to hand over the Falklands.

Again, no. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterfoster/100165348/the-falklands-dispute-lays-bare-the-damage-that-barack-obama-has-done-to-the-not-so-special-us-uk-relationship/

[Mikal]

Again, no. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterfoster/100165348/the-falklands-dispute-lays-bare-the-damage-that-barack-obama-has-done-to-the-not-so-special-us-uk-relationship/

I'm saying what I heard and saw on BBC News.. The Obama Administration (Maybe not Obama directly, but his co-workers) have said the UK should hand over the islands.

[Reece]

I'm saying what I heard and saw on BBC News.. The Obama Administration (Maybe not Obama directly, but his co-workers) have said the UK should hand over the islands.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100130943/the-obama-administration-knifes-britain-in-the-back-again-over-the-falklands/

Sort of, but not really.

[SugarD]

Yes, theres oil down there.. And the US have said the UK should give the Falklands to Argentina for years, let alone they said it last week.

I can't find anything about the U.S. being involved in this just for the oil. In fact, to the contrary, the only reference to the two I find is an American firm signing a deal with the British to buy oil from the location. It would make no sense for the U.S. to support Argentina if that was their only goal.

[Radagast]

If it pisses off the Argentinians, I'm all for it :pop:

[Mikal]

I can't find anything about the U.S. being involved in this just for the oil. In fact, to the contrary, the only reference to the two I find is an American firm signing a deal with the British to buy oil from the location. It would make no sense for the U.S. to support Argentina if that was their only goal.

Is the hidden truth behind governments always broadcasted? No..

If it pisses off the Argentinians, I'm all for it :pop:

Thats the way I see it.