Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrysalis
If wiki is anywhere near accurate the defense looks poor, just 4 fighter jets. I am assuming there is a lot more then that the way people are posting its a fortress. If I am not mistaken our navy is weaker than in the 80s as well.
|
The size of the navy is less important than how much of it is stationed at, or close to, the Falklands. Also, there were no fast jets stationed in the islands in 1982 - there wasn't even a runway that could serve them. There is now a whole new RAF base, RAF Mount Pleasant.
In 1982 the Argentine army was able to land on the islands unopposed and, once there, had only to over-run the modest garrison that was stationed near Stanley. Now, just getting close to the islands would be a costly business. Those four Typhoon jets and their armament are far superior to anything in the Argentine arsenal, which has suffered chronic lack of investment over the last 30 years.
The British military presence in the Falklands is a powerful deterrent against attack - an attack, incidentally, that the Argentine government has absolutely no intention of launching anyway.