MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands Defence Ministry Chief Dies

The British Government official who headed the Ministry of Defence during the Falklands War, Sir Frank Cooper, GCB, CMG, has died, aged 79.

As a wartime Spitfire pilot, he was shot down over Italy but escaped capture to return to allied lines. He was educated at Oxford University and joined the civil service in 1948 in the Air Ministry.

He was a forceful personality and pragmatic man of action whose ability took him to the top of his profession but he was also a controversial figure.

As Permanent Secretary for nearly six years before the Argentine invasion, he was the Defence Secretary's principal adviser on political, financial and administrative matters, including the defence budget and overseas issues.

His tough managerial style was regarded a useful asset to reorganise the large, unwieldy Ministry , and get a tighter grip on spending and planning. This involved him in the rationalisation and economic cutbacks of the Armed Forces ordered by the Defence Secretary, Sir John Nott, in 1981, which proposed big reductions in the Royal Navy's conventional fighting capabilities, particularly its surface warships, including the Antarctic patrol ship HMS Endurance, the aircraft carrier Invincible, and the assault commando ship, Fearless. This encouraged Argentina to believe Britain no longer cared so much about the South Atlantic and the Falkland Islands. Fortunately all were still in service and played a vital part in defeating the Argentines.

Public relations controversy

The Ministry of Defence was also criticised for its public relations which obstructed the media and also inadvertently revealed military plans in advance such as the assault on Goose Green. Though he was accused of misleading the media to deceive the Argentines, Sir Frank's unstuffy personality made him personally popular with journalists. He did not always deny untrue reports when they were to Britain's advantage.

But he was an honest, down-to-earth character who acknowledged it was "inexcusable" that the British soldiers' boots let in water on the march from San Carlos to Port Stanley.

After the conflict, it was his instruction to restore peacetime financial economy, which ended the widespread military assistance to Islanders such as free helicopter rides.

He was a cunning, unorthodox and individualistic operator, qualities which involved him in negotia