Falkland Islands under threat once more - huge oil reserves in peril

ruggedtoast

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-fury-as-south-america-closes-ranks-to-ban-falklands-boats-6280394.html

The British Government has reacted angrily to a decision by Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to ban boats flying the Falkland Islands flag from docking in their ports.

The Foreign Office said it was "very concerned" by the "latest Argentine attempt to isolate" the islands and was now in "urgent" discussions with countries in the region. The move, which was announced at a meeting of the South American trading bloc Mercosur in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, represents a ratcheting up of diplomatic tensions over the islands.

Last year, a British company announced it had made an oil discovery in the North Falkland basin. Geologists estimate that up to 60 billion barrels of oil and gas equivalent could lie in the Atlantic waters, which would put the region on a par with the North Sea.

If Argentina wants to wring considerable concessions out of the UK they couldn't pick a better time.

• They now have a regional consensus, which includes the United States.
  
• We have one aircraft carrier which is broken 70% of the time, can only go at about 5 knots when it isnt, and has to be borrowed off the French.
  
• There are no more jump jets.
  
• As long as Obama is US president there will be no logistical assistance from the US in defending the Falklands.

I imagine there will be a lot of behind the scenes scrabbling from Cameron to offer them concessions.

Rochdale_Pioneers

Back in 81 a cost-cutting defence review binned our naval capbilities just as we needed them. Only by recalling boats we'd already agreed to sell did we manage to pull off a defence. This time around we are literally !!!!!!ed. If Argentina wants a repeat show, we can do little to stop them.

And for all that I have been against our wars of aggression elsewhere with the Falklands its a simple principle of self-determination.

Road_Hog

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I imagine there will be a lot of behind the scenes scrabbling from Cameron to offer them concessions.

Cameron is out of his depth, he is no Thatcher. The only good news ia that Argentina has let its navy/airforce go down the pan just like ours.


Our Royal Navy flagship is currently a helicopter carrier.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/HMS_Albion_L14_Pier_88_jeh.jpg/800px-HMS_Albion_L14_Pier_88_jeh.jpg

Andy_L

ruggedtoast wrote: »

• They now have a regional consensus, which includes the United States.
• We have one aircraft carrier which is broken 70% of the time, can only go at about 5 knots when it isnt, and has to be borrowed off the French.
• There are no more jump jets.
• As long as Obama is US president there will be no logistical assistance from the US in defending the Falklands.

You might want to look at what military capabilites they have to take the islands. Clue: They don't have them - mainly due to the lack of aircraft capable of reaching the islands or ships capable of landing troops & equipment & resuppling them



Also, pedantically, we still have aircraft carries of our own. Although the only aircraft on them are helicopters

FTBFun

This is all a moot point as Argentina doesn't have the capability to take the islands, regardless of our lack of an aircraft carrier.

ruggedtoast

Andy_L wrote: »

[/LIST]
You might want to look at what military capabilites they have to take the islands. Clue: They don't have them - mainly due to the lack of aircraft capable of reaching the islands or ships capable of landing troops & equipment & resuppling them



Also, pedantically, we still have aircraft carries of our own. Although the only aircraft on them are helicopters

I'm sure they can restore capability that can reach from Argentina to the Falklands faster than we can restore ours.

It's all rather a moot point if the US decide to be obstinate. In the last war the Argentines were astonished when the Americans allowed the UK to project power onto the American continent. You could say they were a bit mislead back then, they wouldn't be now.

Obama openly disapproves of the UK, refers to the Falklands as the Malvinas, and would not approve a regional conflict in the dog days of his first term. We don't currently have a regional ally.

FTBFun

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I'm sure they can restore capability that can reach from Argentina to the Falklands faster than we can restore ours.

Such as?

They have no aircraft carrier either, only 3 diesel electric subs compared to our 7 nuclear, and only 4 major surface combatants. They just can't do it and any capability build up will obviously be noticed.

You seem remarkably keen for the islands to be invaded again.

GlynD

Road_Hog wrote: »

Cameron is out of his depth, he is no Thatcher. The only good news ia that Argentina has let its navy/airforce go down the pan just like ours.


Our Royal Navy flagship is currently a helicopter carrier.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/HMS_Albion_L14_Pier_88_jeh.jpg/800px-HMS_Albion_L14_Pier_88_jeh.jpg

HMS Ocean is much more than a helicopter carrier.

GlynD

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I'm sure they can restore capability that can reach from Argentina to the Falklands faster than we can restore ours.

It's all rather a moot point if the US decide to be obstinate. In the last war the Argentines were astonished when the Americans allowed the UK to project power onto the American continent. You could say they were a bit mislead back then, they wouldn't be now.

Obama openly disapproves of the UK, refers to the Falklands as the Malvinas, and would not approve a regional conflict in the dog days of his first term. We don't currently have a regional ally.

Sure, let them restore capability. Let them send as many ships as they want against the hunter killer sub we have operating in the area.

chewmylegoff

there are 4 typhoons stationed on the falkland islands. the argentinian air force has about 15 fighters built in the 1960s.

basically we could destroy their entire air force in 4.3 seconds and then sink any shipping they send.

GlynD

chewmylegoff wrote: »

there are 4 typhoons stationed on the falkland islands. the argentinian air force has about 15 fighters built in the 1960s.

basically we could destroy their entire air force in 4.3 seconds and then sink any shipping they send.

Plus we are still the world's premier nation for amphibious landings. Hence HMS Ocean.