In a recent Parliamentary Written Question and Answer, Andrew Rosindell MP sought clarification from the Ministry of Defence regarding the current state of defence support for the Falkland Islands.
James Heappey MP, serving as the Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence and Minister for the Armed Forces, affirmed that regular assessments are conducted to gauge the Defence support requirements for the Falkland Islands.
He expressed confidence that the military presence in the South Atlantic is adequately structured to ensure the defence of the Islands.
Andrew Rosindell (Conservative – Romford):
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of defence support for the Falkland Islands.”
James Heappey (Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Minister for the Armed Forces):
“The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the requirements for Defence support to the Falkland Islands. I am satisfied that the military presence in the South Atlantic is at the appropriate level to ensure the defence of the Islands.”
I do wonder what message the cost cutting (Albion & Bulwark , Supply ships laid up, cutting Type 23s, Tranche 1 Typhoon, NMH) by this (and no doubt the next) government will send to the likes of Argentina . No doubt the free, free Palestine” supporters will demand the Uk hand over the Falkland’s as its the right thing to do and it will allow the MOD to save some money to spend elsewhere (such as MPs john Lewis accounts) and how we all laughed at Magic Grandpa when he stated he would send the nuke subs out to sea… Read more »
I’ve got to agree. We are not deterring anyone with defence cuts, especially at a time of extreme threats and a deteriorating international security picture.
I’m not sure this Tory government even have the bandwidth to consider they are wrong and need to take urgent action to try to resolve the desperate state of the UK armed forces.
We have to get match fit and ready for the inevitable war we all know is coming.
Unfortunately Labour promise more of the same, 2% GDP on defence tops, so expect a continued contraction of our armed forces.
What a world we live in🙄we have a country claiming islands that they never had in the first place,The Orcs claiming the Alaska sale to the US is illegitimate ,China hovering up the SCS we are doomed🙁
“As of 24 Jan 2024, there are more than 45 armed conflicts taking place in the Middle East and North Africa, including Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, and Western Sahara. The majority of these conflicts are non-international (NIACs), involving a multitude of armed non-state actors and foreign interventions by Western powers, Russia, and neighboring countries, except for the NIACs taking place in Egypt and Turkey.1 Additionally, there are 32 countries currently at war, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Libya, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Colombia, and Mali. Additionally, Mexico… Read more »
Mmm happy new year😳
Yep. It doesn’t mention Ecuador and its drug war. At this point, I might as well mention my in fighting with a company HR. Why the F not? lol
The thorny issue of conscription is not that far away. Firstly, the Navy needs crews to keep the Bulwark Class afloat and other support vessels, which could be achieved by offering special civilian salaries to encourage sign-up. The Army needs to increase the TA boots on the ground before issuing compulsory conscription orders but initially in limited numbers.
Are you sure you were meant to be answering Mr. Bell? I still have an answer if you want. And where the MOD can stick it. lol
I guess Mexico has every right taking a leaf from Putin in demanding half of the US back that was stolen from it in a contrived war.
To put that into gamer speak ‘Mexico had a skill issue’ or ‘Get Good’. haha
Using Putin’s logic we should get back the 13 colonies, and France is owed around 1/3 of continental US land.
How about Mongolia gets back Russia first.
Well, they could. They’d probably not want to bother. The current tenants have fucked it up.
It’d be like the scenes in shows like “Cant Pay? We’ll Take It Away” when landlords see that the sponge tenants being evicted have completely ruined their house and have to spend thousands fixing it. That’s what Mongolia would have to look forward to if they got Russian territory back.
While we’re at it we want the Crown territories of the Angevin back, about half of France as it happens,
Who is fighting in Cyprus? Its divided, true, but fighting? Argueing and bickering, yep, but fighting?
Interesting both China and now Russia are claiming the extent of their former empires should rightfully their actual present borders. Problem is of course that those claims substantially overlap. I also loved that Zelenskyy issued his own historical border claims that in an official Russian map in the late Century includes substantial parts of Russia, indeed as the Rus moved out of Kiev to occupy what is European Russia they could by Russias tactics claim al of that land too. Perhaps Britain by similar logic should issue claims on a fifth of the World and hey why not go the… Read more »
I was just contemplating down the line if Russia and China in their u limited cooperation were to jointly support the Alaska claim and combined militarily to achieve that how the US would strive to prevent it from succeeding. Even now sounds fanciful but would provide China with the Arctic access it craves so who knows in the future if their joint adventurism continues unrestrained. If Ukraine is still in existence perhaps it will call upon the US to surrender land for peace eh.
I think the two Queen Elizabeth’s send a bigger message than the two Albion’s any day of the week. Not that I’m in favour of getting rid of the Albion’s but they are designated to be replaced by something that’s not an LPD, the doctrine of the RM has changed as part of that and the newer strategic raiding doctrine would probably be far more effective in a second Falklands scenario where your not going to be sending heavy vehicles in number. Personally I would rather we invested in two new Canberra style LHD’s to replace the Albion’s that could… Read more »
Just to note, the RM doctrine was changed to preserve the RM, not out of a requirement to do strategic raiding. This is because Navy Command wanted the extra headcount to man its ships and had to make a compensated reduction – and the RM were where they made that reduction.
It’s slipped many people by, but in 2015 the Royal Navy had three core capabilities noted as contribution to Defence: CASD, Carrier Strike and Amphibious Strike. Amphibious is no longer there on their website.
Not much point in having Carrier strike if you don’t also have amphibious strike also.
The two are very much intertwined.
The Falklands is looking like the least of our problems right now!
Except they have a habit of suddenly becoming a focus during worldwide conflict; yet another strategic gateway into major oceans.
I believe John Knott said something similar in 1981
Well I think the defences stand a bit more substantial than a troop of marines now!
Yes, but back then Argentina had both a navy and an air force.; I think the UK has a number of higher security threats than the Falklands.
Certainly did!
What’s the government’s definition of satisfied?
When Putin & Xi install their puppet & snuff out our freedoms. Just so long as they have their bug out somewhere tropical with all their offshore riches.
So they are not Very Satisfied or Mostly Satisfied. Satisfied seems a bit 50/50, or maybe Not Sure.
Haha Paul. When I was a young man, a pompous older man told me a blatant lie and when I confronted him, he EMPHATICALLY denied it. It occurred to me at the time that if he had just denied it then his lying would have been more transparent😁
It’s probably the best defended part of UK teritory. Reinforcements can be flown in reasonably quickly. The RN however is but a shadow of what it took to retake it in 1982, but thankfully so is the military of Argentina.
Yes, satisfactorily defended for now. Don’t think Argentina would be the primary threat to the Falklands looking ahead, of course.
For now, just needs the other group of UK islands, Great Britain, to become satisfactorily defended as well and job done.
I’ve always been nervous about starting the conversation with any Argentinean I have had a beer with, but I am curious how much interest there actually is there and how much it is our own media blowing it up.
Successive Argentinean leaders have stated a diplomatic solution will be sought but its unclear under what situation these questions come up. We have plenty of extreme news papers arguing we should start a war with France, and when politicians get asked they get cornered into answering something.
The Argentinians have effectively disarmed, they are incapable of launching anything but the very smallest of raids that would achieve nothing but their economic destruction, it’s not a problem.
If we had pre 1982 levels of defence on the Islands, i.e, a Royal Marine Party and local weekend warriors, they still couldn’t manage an invasion.
Current for levels on the Islands are an effective deterrent.
For sure Argentine Air force would not be able to deal with our Typhoons or Sky Sabre AD.But back in 82 they pilots fought bravely . 🇬🇧
Certainly not knocking the highly skilled and brave Argentine pilots of 82 Andrew.
The war was avoidable, letting it be known that the regular SSN patrol had been withdrawn was a moot point.
Couple this with Notts 1981 plans to disband the Royal marines, get rid of one of the Invincible Class and radically reduce the escort fleet to 30 (try not to laugh at that one) was absolutely seen as a green light in Buenos Aires, that the UK was utterly focused on its NATO commitments, with no interest in defending its overseas territories.
Signalling the withdawal of the ice patrol ship HMS Endurance was also a key factor in convincing Argentina that we had lost interest in the islands. SSN – surely for security reasons we would not have announced their locations?
Morning Graham, yep, sorry forgot Endurance…
You would think so wouldn’t you mate… I always thought it was an utter balls up the Callahan Government, letting it be known that SSN South Atlantic patrol would stop.
As you say, the phycological effect of an SSN patrol is a mighty deterrent in its own right. Had the labour Government of 1977 just kept that secret, then it would have made the Junta a lot more cautious about launching an amphibious assault.
Didn’t Nicholas Ridley go there in 1980 to try persuade the islanders to sign up to a deal which was a leaseback arrangement ? I suspect that had a lot to do with it
It’s was the announcement in the press of an SSN being deployed from Gibraltar that caused the Argentines to go when they did. Turned out the SSN in question went somewhere else and never deployed to the FI.
Couldn’t agree with you more John 🍺
George Osborne f*cked UK Defence over by shoe horning CASD back in to the main budget.
We simply can’t afford it, and that is becoming worryingly apparent.
Strategic capital projects like CASD & Carrier Strike have gutted conventional forces. But MP’s love them, as they get to grandstand on defence when in reality the have utterly f*cked it over for the last 15 years or so.
This government keep going on about UK having good defence Budget ,and smiling it’s no were near enough .No wonder head of the British Army spoke out yesterday saying were to small and need to start doing something now 🙏
And there was me voting for Jeremy Corbyn last election thinking he was the solution to our defence woes.😀
Yes it’s the gift that keeps on giving, George Osbourne target what’s to remove the budget deficit by 2015 and Successor funding did not ramp up until after that window. What the smug little s**t thought it was a good idea is beyond me.
Much like grant Shapps thinking scrapping LPD’s and frigates 6 months before an election he has zero chance of winning is a good idea.
The only Navy George Osborne understood was the Navy Train.
Very few MP’s have clue about defence, its plain to see that.
Milei has no real interest in the Falklands, his focus is Argentina and unlike the peronists he won’t use the Falklands to distract from getting the job done. Bottom line is Millei is a libertarian and they don’t beleive in wars
Parliament today Jan 25th. Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell tells MPs that the LPDs will remain in service until their planned OSD of early 30s.