Lonewolf
"Are they willing to fight?"
Wasn't that answered in 1982 by more than a few ?
Well after the war, reading about some of the exploits of some was inspiring to say the least. The one who was presented with a Para beret was impressive to me.
500N: The year is 2012. Old valor may not matter, or may be part of the heritage passed down. I’ve not been there, I thus have no idea, therefore I ask.
tangoe:
" just a tiny amount of research, even just reading this thread and you would know about the FIDF!"
Thank you for the link, tangoe, even if your attitude was less than cordial.
Lonewolf, as we see in Syria, having an armed population doesn't help much when the enemy has Artillery.
Not just armed, but trained to the level of a comptent militia, and able to actually fight in small unit formations. (Platoon and company sized)
(Compare and contrast: the undisciplined militia one saw during the latest Libyan thing, who seemed not to get that bit early on).
do please remember that Argentina is a country that made a habit of throwing students out of helicopters within living memory - this is not some NRA wet dream, its very much more serious than that.
Indeed, Argentina, if they come, will mean business. I expect combined arms, deception, radio shennanigans, and a full out political offensive to try and delay/preclude any support from Home Islands.
So, who are they up against, other than the regulars in the Royal Navy and RAF? (Isn't there also a regular Army formation there?)
The Falkland Islands Defence Force today is funded entirely by the
Falklands government and has an annual budget of ₤400, 000.
[3]
The FIDF is organised as a
light infantry company. It is manned entirely by the local population, following British Army doctrine, training and operations.
In an agreement with the
British Ministry of Defence, a Royal Marines Warrant Officer 2 is seconded to the Force as a
Permanent Staff Instructor.
Two permanent soldiers from the islands are employed as the Force's Commanding Officer, ranked as a
Major, and as the senior non-commissioned officer, ranked as a
Sergeant Major.
The FIDF operates sniper/reconnaissance, machine gun, close combat, amphibious and logistic support units, co-ordinated by a central command. It has the capability to mount its own armed defence against illegal fishing in Falkland waters. It also fulfills the role of a mountain rescue agency for the archipelago.
A light infantry company does not represent the sum total of the potential capability of a participatory and armed militia. My point of reference comes form old colonial America, and our first century as a nation. The common requirement on the frontier was that all men of sound constitution (age 16 to 60) constitute the Militia, and were to be called up if an emergency arose.
The Argies showing up seems to me to constitute an emergency.
I'll leave it at that.
All the above considered, I sincerely hope that it doesn't come to that.