MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Drastic changes in UK forces: Territorial Army will be deployed in the Falklands
UK Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond signalled Thursday morning that members of the Territorial Army will be deployed to the Falkland Islands. Addressing the House of Commons Secretary Hammond said that reserve forces will be expected to fulfill new roles including contributing to standing commitments such as the Falklands. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesAt long last, W.A.S.P. coming to the Falklands.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 06:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0World Aquanaut Security Patrol strikes fear into the hearts of hostile ocean neighbour!
Who?
Nov 09th, 2012 - 06:36 am - Link - Report abuse 0@troy tempest - LOL - Stand by for action...we are about to launch stingray....
Nov 09th, 2012 - 07:07 am - Link - Report abuse 0Which hostile nation are you more concerned about - Argentina or the Aquaphibians? (ha ha)
Seriously though, giving more average Brits contact with the Falklanders can only be a good thing in terms of forging closer links between communities.
The TA are'nt a pushover either, many units that fought in WW1 and WW2 were TA. In France, in 1940, some of these regiments took casualties in excess of 80% fighting Panzer units, armed with little more than rifles and Bren guns, they were thrown into the path of the German advance to buy time. They bought it with tremendous courage and sacrifice.
Don't underestimate them.
You call those TA? Think others call them “cannon fodder”...
Nov 09th, 2012 - 07:11 am - Link - Report abuse 0The TA also serve tours in Afghanistan. Many of them are battle hardened. They certainly aren't a 'pushover'.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 07:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0@4 - Guzz
No we call them courageous, they fought to the last man to give their comrades a chance to retreat to better positions, and finally back to Britain. If they hadn't the British would've been defeated in 1940 and the world would look much different today with the Nazi's probably still in power.
They would've executed socialists like you Guzz. Then again you're the type to be pledging allegiance to the Third Reich, as you have no courage or honour.
But never fear, Guzz, the TA are trained to the same standard as the Regular Army, fight the same, and can kick ass the same. :)
In the words of the Duke of Wellington: “They came on in the same old way, and we defeated them in the same old way.”
@4 why planning on invading the peaceful falkland islands again?
Nov 09th, 2012 - 07:21 am - Link - Report abuse 0By the time the reforms are done the aquaphibians may be the main threat as Argentina will be without a Navy.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 07:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0yep TA or Army reserve have tours of Afghan under their belts, a friend of mine has just returned. Would make more sense to send them to the Falklands, the standard of the RG Army was poor during their failed invasion they would be no match for the Reserves.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 08:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0I'm disappointed that the army is being reduced so drastically, we should be able to fend of most threats but we really wouldn't be able to deal with a world war two style threat if it were to occur, we'd be far too overstretched.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 08:53 am - Link - Report abuse 0This report is very misleading. Yes, the TA is being increased and greater integration is being sought. That does not mean that members of the Territorial Army will be deployed on permanent postings. For one thing their employers would not stand for them being deployed in peacetime.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0I work with a guy who is a Sgt Medic in the TA. He has just returned from his 4th tour of Afghan. A quiet, shy man you would not look at a second time if you passed by him in the street. Courage comes in many forms, this man possesses it in abundance and like most brave men, denies he has it. Well done and thanks Tony.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0@9 - Boovis
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:12 am - Link - Report abuse 0Agreed.
But as I recall the government reduced the size of the Armed Forces and the amount spent on new equipment in the 1930's to save money.
This meant that we were woefully unprepared for another war when Herr Hitler decided it was time for round 2.
I think this may have been one of the factors behind Chamberlain trying to appease Hitler, to buy time to build up the forces. However, if they'd listened to Churchill in the 1st place, Britain would've been in a better position at the beginning of the war, rather than playing catch up.
This day and age they are always talking about the cyber threat, and cyber war. Whilst that is true, it doesn't stop conventional fighting and wars taking place.
I mean, since the end of the Cold War, has there actually been peace in the world?
First it was Iraq invading Kuwait, then the Balkans, then East Timor, then Sierra Leone, then Afghanistan and Iraq: and these are just the conflicts that the UK have been involved in!
I believe the politicians are being too short sighted, and relying too much on reserve forces. Yes the Reserves are important and need more money investing in them, but the Regualars are important too.
Point in case. The Regular Forces proved that they could support a huge operation at very short notice, when the G4S who was tasked with providing security at the Olympics failed to live up to the contract.
The Military stepped in with only a few days notice, and did a marvellous job.
It would've been more difficult to do the same thing by trying to call up reservists to do the same thing, as they all have day jobs, whose employers wouldn't be too happy about losing a member of staff for about 3 months at very short notice.
No, the government need to relook at their plans. Increase the Reserve, yes, but do not decrease the Regulars to the extent that they are planning.
If they want to save money, cull a few Quango's and politicians first.
Silly Story and a Minister out of touch- The TA have been deploying here for several years now!
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0An old story with a new name of Army Reserves rather than Territorial Army. with Reservists just as every bit as efficient, and determined as the regular Army.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:31 am - Link - Report abuse 0@ 12 LEPRecon
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:36 am - Link - Report abuse 0“I think this may have been one of the factors behind Chamberlain trying to appease Hitler, to buy time to build up the forces.”
Precisely. In a war against Germany in 1938, the UK would have would have been utterly and completely defeated. Chamberlain knew this but didn't dare tell the British population. When you read the contemporary documents it is obvious that he gambled for time, and that a frantic rearmament followed München.
A serious problem is that there are no votes in bullets and military readiness during peacetime.
Then, when the sh¡te hits the fan, all the voters become Argentine, lament and blame everybody than their own stupid selves.
As the old Romans said: If you want peace, prepare for war.
Btw Hammond in the picture is definately not “adressing the Commons”, I know what the Commons looks like and a clear light blue background it isn't!
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:12 am - Link - Report abuse 0#16
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:46 am - Link - Report abuse 0So. your point being ?
It's just a statement to the press on government policy using a make shift studio.
They've been here many times before and are very good; others have witnessed their contributions in Afghanistan.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0The programme makes a great deal of sense and creates a more community focussed armed forces.
Let's face it. Dad's army would be adequate to defend the Falklands from it's aggressors.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 11:41 am - Link - Report abuse 0I think it would be unwise for us to underestimate Argentina’s desire to have the islands. I’m sure any realistic individual would tell you that their professional army aren’t any push over.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 11:53 am - Link - Report abuse 0Always be prepared.
The argentine troops might be good.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 12:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But the air force is a joke.
The navy has been repoed.
Any assualt with out tom dale brown levels of luck and the British military being stupid is bound to end in failure.
The islanders hate you.
The royal navy has half a dozen cruise missile armed attack subs for retaliation
@19 unfortunately now Clive Dunn has passed away there is only Pike left. Probably still enough though
Nov 09th, 2012 - 12:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0#17 Caption said he was adressing the commons
Nov 09th, 2012 - 12:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@3 Don't forget that the TA is regularly deployed to Afghanistan.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 12:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@4 “Cannon fodder” = argies. Also “targets”. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to wipe this argie ”division“ off the face of the planet. How may troops will you need”? “Accepted. A squad should be enough.”
@9 Don't be concerned. In the event of a real problem, how many real British adults would not step forward? I would. Give me a uniform, a flight, an assault rifle, ammunition and a bayonet. I'll be more than happy to stand at the tideline and kill argie invaders all day long. I like the idea of a wall of the corpses of argie invaders 20 feet high. And 2 miles long. Could do that with 18,000 argie bodies. Send more!
@12 Have to agree with you. But let's not forget the other 176 Typhoons. The Tornado force. The Submarine Service. The Type 45 destroyers. The forthcoming Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. The Royal Marines. The Parachute Regiment. 400 Challenger 2 MBTs. And so much more. The TA (Army Reserves) are trained to the same standard. They are all volunteers. Part of the SAS is TA. There is no better “force” in the world. Even the Americans are second-rate by comparison.
@20 No worries. Try to remember that the argies thought it appropriate to send 66,000 troops to overcome 80 Royal Marines. There are now 1,300 British troops on the Islands. To maintain the same numerical advantage, argieland would have to send over a MILLION troops. 1982 - no air power, no naval power. Today? Argie air power contained by cruise missiles and Type 45s. Naval rowboats contained the same way. British reinforcements arriving within 24 hours. Step over from defence to offense. British troops land in argieland. 1st Armoured Division. 400 Challenger 2 MBTs. Unbeaten. If it moves, kill it!
Argentina just needs to introduce the trojan sheep, and you are done for, conqueror... :)))
Nov 09th, 2012 - 12:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0he has to be better then he who he replaces,
Nov 09th, 2012 - 01:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0he is trying with the resourses he has,
but either way, the british will defend.
@25 Oooohhh. Faggots unlimited. A wonderful new experience for argies. Long overdue. Dying in their tens of thousands. Being crushed into the mud by Challenger 2 MBTs. The only unbeaten MBT in the world. And there's a plus. In a Challenger 2 MBT you can lean out of the turret and watch argie heads spurting “stuff”.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 03:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0And in the distance, conqueror chasing a mech sheep... ;)
Nov 09th, 2012 - 03:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@Guzz
Nov 09th, 2012 - 03:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0My mum was in the TA, she could stamp on your face and still go 4 rounds with the Junta.... just ask my dad :-)
Our TA doesn't just defend the motherland. Real experience regularly received across the world.
Your mom beat your dad?
Nov 09th, 2012 - 04:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0hahaha ohhh these funny warmongers
Nov 09th, 2012 - 04:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0#9 everyone's Army is being slashed. When I served in the 70.s, there were 800,000 (not counting reserves and NG's). Now there are onlky 560,000....Army only...with Marines at 201,000 thats a ground force of 761,000 which relates to about 80,000 actual infantry troops. Not much.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 04:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Captain Proppy “served” in the army??? Lolz..seriously, playing war games on the playstation isnt “serving”. By the way, they are a bunch of losers who couldn't find or get a real job at private sector.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@33
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0you are just another clueless troll!
bunch of losers
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0the only losers fido, are those who condem them,
amazing how people change their minds, when you need em.
5 LEPRecon
Nov 09th, 2012 - 09:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0If Guzz really is this freedom fighter that he claims to be, why does his post sound like they were written by a school kid?
If he claims to be so much more intellectually superior than us why does he sound like a spoilt, snot-nosed little baby that needs it's nappy changing?
History seems to imply that every time we reduce our defences by what is considered a considerable amount,
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0We then get dragged into conflict,
You cannot keep reducing your defences, yet at the same time, increasing your commitments,
One of them will give under the pressure,
And it’s the poor sods at the front end that gets it, whilst politicians sit on their arses ..
.
bla bla bla is just a show!
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0you may correct, but some shows dont have a happy ending..lol.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0hi sussie.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@41 Isolde aka briton
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0lol
soon to be promoted to agaent bond, sussie.
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0she is the right babe,,,,,yes...she is!
Nov 09th, 2012 - 10:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0she is better than Isolde!
Nov 09th, 2012 - 11:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0lol
TA are better trained than 90% of the worlds armies.
Nov 10th, 2012 - 12:24 am - Link - Report abuse 0I've spent more time teaching my dog to shit in the garden than the average Argentinian troop gets in years of service.
And im sure my training has had more success.
After all, those dirty gits did shit in our post office.
The TA has been making up part of the military garrison at Mt Pleasant for years.
Nov 10th, 2012 - 09:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0I dont know why this is such a big fuss. UK TA forces have been deployed before, albeit in a small number.
Nov 10th, 2012 - 09:21 am - Link - Report abuse 0#27 the only thing a chally woukd do in the falklands would be bog in spectacuarly even the little argie panhard armoured cars did and did nothing in 82 some survived till 92 being used as targets.
Nov 10th, 2012 - 01:23 pm - Link - Report abuse 0In the event of an invasion all the TA would have to be do sit in a trench and shoot anything coming frm the sea with a plentiful supply of javelin fire and frget anti tank missies and gpmg it would be a slaughter.
Thats why the argentine military wont try it the only way they will be a threat is in the minds of the daily mail and sharky ward.
Yep a chap at work went with the REME TA two years ago, loved the place
Nov 10th, 2012 - 06:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 049 Santa Fe
Nov 10th, 2012 - 08:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Glad to hear it. If he ever goes again let me know and I'll show him around a bit.
@51
Nov 10th, 2012 - 09:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Ohhhhh...Really? Did you really have to say that?
51 agent_Scare
Nov 10th, 2012 - 09:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0And that makes you a racist!! Thanks for that you worthless, low life piece of s**t. I don't know who you are and I don't care... To me you are some where between a dung beetle and that bit of s**t you can't flush away after you've taken a dump.
If that is the best you can do I hope you die screaming with sharp things in you. You and your entire family and burn in hell and the world will be a better place without you...... Now F**K off and do not post on this forum again.
#51
Nov 10th, 2012 - 10:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Crawl back under the stone from where you surfaced.
Ignoring the N word you used, what if he was indeed of African origin. What difference would that make to anyone but you ?
I presume you hate a good percentage of the population of Brazil because of the pigmentation of their skin and the population of Africa . What a sad little person you are !
@51
Nov 10th, 2012 - 10:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Miss Sussie I guess we have come to the core of your personality disorder?
52/53/54/
Nov 10th, 2012 - 10:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Thank you guy for the support,
This has been reported, it seems sussie has no cells upstairs, every time we tell her to tone it down, its like talking to a uneducated indoctrinated child..
But I will ignore her,
Sticks and stones.
Still.
Out of interest,
Im as pink as my Devonian skin,
And Susie is as raciest as one ignorant can get.
.
Looks like his/her posts @51 have been obliterated completely - deleted into cyberspace.
Nov 11th, 2012 - 05:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0Good for Mercopress !!
I hope Sussie's IP's will be flagged and denied access.
Multiple log on Guzz need deleting after stupid disrespectful comments about Remembrance Day in stanley, he needs to grow up.
Nov 11th, 2012 - 08:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0But you are free to bash Arg all day, every day?
Nov 11th, 2012 - 09:07 am - Link - Report abuse 0I'm sorry, little hypocrite, doesn't work like that... ;)
@Guzz -
Nov 11th, 2012 - 10:00 am - Link - Report abuse 0Just to pull you up on your “cannon fodder” comment.
The men in those units knew what was coming down the road and knew their chances of survival - I call that courage.
I don't know if I could ever match that myself...and I doubt that you could.
I am glad you're posts were deleted - you deserved it.
If you are Danish - it explains a lot - you folded in
I'm glad as well, confirms me yet again what a bunch of hypocrites you lot are.
Nov 11th, 2012 - 10:12 am - Link - Report abuse 0I'm glad we agree ;)
Late confession that these islands are the only a military base of UK.
Nov 11th, 2012 - 10:31 am - Link - Report abuse 060 Deadbeat
Nov 11th, 2012 - 10:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0Is that your argument for the day? “hypocrites” ??
Why was I expecting more from you?
Oh know I know, it was that comment about how “Intelligent” you are, that was it!!!
You seem to have a one track mind, Deadbeat me ol' son.......what a pity there are no trains on it.
Not my fault your own language confuses you...
Nov 11th, 2012 - 10:56 am - Link - Report abuse 0Deadbeat ;)
55 briton
Nov 11th, 2012 - 01:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Im as pink as my Devonian skin”
The Place or the period?
Cool if it's the place but the Devonian period was 354 to 417 million years ago................ so that would make even older than me!!!! :-)
Comment removed by the editor.
Nov 11th, 2012 - 03:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Burrrrrrrrp!
Nov 11th, 2012 - 03:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0;)
This deployment is reassuring, who wouldn't be happy about it !
Nov 11th, 2012 - 07:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@61
Nov 11th, 2012 - 07:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“Late confession that these islands are the only a military base of UK.”
The islands are not there to serve the UK military, the UK military are there to serve the islands.
.
64 toooldtodieyoung
Nov 11th, 2012 - 08:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Cheers,
Buy only lately descent
Great grand parents were from Devon., then up to London..
Im not that old, lol.
.
#61 now if only argentina could be trusted there wouldnt be a military garrison there.
Nov 11th, 2012 - 10:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@70 Martin W
Nov 12th, 2012 - 10:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Good news, Martin;
Ban Ki Moon and the UN just shut the door on CFK.
Told them to get stuffed over their Falklands sovereignty claims !!
Forces shrinking????
Nov 12th, 2012 - 10:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@71
Nov 15th, 2012 - 01:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0And the 2013 referendum will be not ignored by Ban Ki Moon.
@55
Nov 16th, 2012 - 10:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0gluggglugggluggg: goggle transtation: idiots.
#74
Nov 17th, 2012 - 09:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0What is a goggle transtation and what language is this please.
@74
Nov 18th, 2012 - 08:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Keep to yourself you racist cow.
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