Fear of Miley and Argentina: Great Britain carried out an unusual security exercise

The news in brief:

• About 250 British fighters carried out unusual training to retake control of the Falkland Islands.
• The warriors raided the island’s shores from the sea, marched tens of kilometers and pretended to conquer territories.
• The exercise was based on the raids of the British forces during the 1982 war.
• Millay recently announced that Argentina would “take matters into its own hands” on the Falkland Islands issue.
  

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The British Army conducted a military exercise in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) simulating their recapture by Argentine forces, for the first time in years, against the background of threats made by Argentine President Javier Millay regarding sovereignty over the islands, as reported yesterday (Tuesday) in the British newspaper The Times. About 150 British soldiers and about 100 local reservists participated in the exercise, who carried out landings from the sea, extended foot journeys and short-range battles in the mountainous and rocky terrain of the islands. The exercise replicated some of the operations carried out by the British Army in the Falklands War in 1982, when Britain embarked on an operation to regain control of the islands after the Argentine invasion.

According to the report, the exercise was held this month and lasted six days, with the participation of Company B soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the British Paratroopers, alongside members of the Falkland Islands Local Defense Force. Although the British Army conducts training on the islands regularly, according to the Times, this is the first time in years that an exercise simulating a landing from the sea and the retaking of territory was held, similar to Operation Sutton that began in May 1982.

The exercise is taking place against the backdrop of the outrage at the statements of Argentine President Javier Millay, who warned last month that his country may “act quickly” to “reclaim” the Falkland Islands. Millay claimed that the islands were under “illegal foreign occupation” by Britain. Later, in his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, he threatened that Argentina might “take matters into its own hands” to exercise its sovereignty, although he made it clear that he wanted to act peacefully.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham responded on Monday, saying his government would do “whatever it takes” to ensure the Falkland Islands remain British territory, in line with the clear and stated wishes of the islanders. A British security official clarified that the exercise was planned in advance and was not conducted in direct response to Millay’s latest statements.

The exercise, codenamed Cape Upholder, began when a detachment of paratroopers sailed along the East Falkland coast aboard the British Navy patrol ship HMS Medway. The soldiers arrived in the San Carlos area, got off the ship using inflatable landing boats and joined the rest of the forces.

The choice of the area is not accidental. In May 1982, British forces landed in San Carlos as part of Operation Sutton, which was one of the key steps in the effort to regain control of the islands from Argentina.

After landing, the soldiers set out on a grueling 32-kilometer journey on foot under the cover of darkness, until they reached the Goose Green area. There is an airport of strategic importance, which served as a stronghold of the Argentine forces during the war.

Upon their arrival, the forces set up a staging area, and in the early hours of the morning they launched a raid on a simulated enemy communications complex, with the assistance of Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets. According to the British Ministry of Defense, within three hours the soldiers advanced several kilometers and “neutralized all enemy forces” in the area.

Later, the soldiers and their equipment were transported by helicopters for the continuation of the activity. The troops made a further tactical advance of about 21 kilometers towards Wierles Ridge, one of seven strategic hills less than eight kilometers from the islands’ capital, Port Stanley.

The ridge was one of the focal points of the battles in the 1982 war. As part of the current exercise, the soldiers carried out about two hours of short-range combat in an open area, which included peat swamps and rocky hills, until they managed to take control of a target.

The terrain conditions in the Falkland Islands pose significant challenges to the forces. The bare terrain, the almost incessant winds and the frequent rains make it difficult to move.

Alongside the military and political tensions, a conflict also developed around a large oil project called Sea Lion, planned off the coast of the Falkland Islands. On Tuesday it was revealed that British officials had asked Interpol to reject demands by Argentina to issue arrest warrants against people involved in the project, including British citizens.

According to a report in the Guardian, in a letter sent to the Interpol headquarters in France, it was claimed that the requests were politically motivated. The British government fears that Argentina is trying to put pressure on people and companies to discourage them from economic activity in the islands.