MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Mount Pleasant Complex runway in Falkland Islands undergoes successful refurbishment
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has completed a project worth almost £7 million to extend the lifespan of the runways and taxiways at the Mount Pleasant Complex airfield in the Falkland Islands. The project was awarded to Mitie in June 2022, and was undertaken by sub-contractor Gatwick Construction, with work commencing at the end of January. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesGood o.
Apr 24th, 2023 - 11:56 pm - Link - Report abuse +2Another step in the Pirate militarisation of the S. Atlantic completed.
Next stop Antarctica.
Such a beautiful runway, made Argentina obsolete,
Apr 25th, 2023 - 12:02 am - Link - Report abuse +2When was it ever relevant in the S. Atlantic, other than for six weeks or so?
Apr 25th, 2023 - 12:50 am - Link - Report abuse +2Np, the key is keep with the claim open, and slowly increase pacific pressure.. making skyrocket the defence Budget.
Apr 25th, 2023 - 04:30 am - Link - Report abuse -4Some calculations by defense analysts show that for every US$1 million invested by Argentina, the United Kingdom has to invest US$10 to maintain the status quo.
Simply being in peacetime in a passive position, and without making a military investment, we force them to maintain some US$1,200 million a year in defense...
And that we have not yet begun to grant fishing licenses to China, or develop long-range ballistic missiles such as the “Condor II” or “Tronador I” missile, discontinued in the 90s.
AC, you are talking absolute nonsense, slowly increase pressure, the military defence spending on the Falklands is not even worth mentioning its so small, you live in a fantasy world if you ever think Argentina will be in a position to worry the Falklands you are deluded, your so called long range ballistic missiles ??? you are skint, Britains military is so far ahead of you its laughable, do you not think what they might have in future ? weapons that will obliterate Buenos Aires off the face of the earth, no pressure whatsoever , best joke of the week, good luck with being controlled by China,
Apr 25th, 2023 - 08:21 am - Link - Report abuse +1AC
Apr 25th, 2023 - 09:22 am - Link - Report abuse +2Even if your numbers were correct (They are not!), it doesn't matter. Britain has the money, Argentina does not.
The day you realise why Argentina, with all its natural resources, with its scale and opportunity is a bankrupt corrupt failed state, the day you move on....but you never will.
I will give you a clue....(P_R_N_S_), the missing letters are E,O,I,M. See if you can work it out.
What world does Argie Cit live in ?, Argentina would have to spend billions to even get close to matching the UKs current military, does he think that UK will stand still and not develop new technology ?, were do they get this crazy information from, Peronist propaganda newspapers ?,the cost of defending the Falklands is minimal, and is a good place for the RAF the RN the army and Marines to train without causing much disturbance to the civilian population, Zero pressure now and zero pressure in the future, but they still continue to live in a fantasy world of Narnia,
Apr 25th, 2023 - 09:39 am - Link - Report abuse +1“Some calculations by defense analysts show that for every US$1 million invested by Argentina, the United Kingdom has to invest US$10 to maintain the status quo.”
Apr 25th, 2023 - 11:10 am - Link - Report abuse +1“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.” Christopher Hitchens
Argy Planter
Apr 25th, 2023 - 12:40 pm - Link - Report abuse +2The cost of defending the Falklands is tiny, if the troops, ships and aircraft were not there they would be somewhere else, like Cyprus or the Pacific.
Not to mention the benefits of a perfect training ground, especially for combined ops exercises.
Even if the cost were measurable, it would be well worth it as it defends a large area of British Territory in the S. Atlantic/Antarctic and keeps Argentina inside its 200nm limit.
Keeping Argentina irrelevant in both regions.
The Chinese are not interested in fishing in the Malvinas, they know they can’t without a Falklands fishing licence, unlike you they are not completely stupid and are not going to start a war on Argentina’s behalf.
Besides they will be too busy ‘digesting’ the rest of Argentina.
Long range ballistic missiles, LMFAO, Argentina can’t afford fireworks.
”The explosive inflation situation in chaotic Argentina, close to 120% in twelve months, with the CPI at 7,7% in March ( and roaring during the three weeks of April) is showing that the country is incapable of supplying the necessary demand for bills and thus must appeal to the printing in foreign mint houses, of billions of Argentine bills”.
Apr 25th, 2023 - 12:41 pm - Link - Report abuse +1'Nuff said.
If they took 2 zeros off their currency, and made a 1 peso note worth 100 pesos, wouldn't that reduce their printing needs by a factor of 100 times?
Apr 25th, 2023 - 04:10 pm - Link - Report abuse +1oh, I see that I have put my finger on the sore..
Apr 25th, 2023 - 05:41 pm - Link - Report abuse -5Of course, Argentina has been a country with political struggles over the economic model to follow, and yes, we have other internal issues to worry about, economic reorganization, inflation etc.
Of course I don't mean the present, I mean the veeery long term. We will keep the Claim open for future generations, always waiting for geopolitical changes or windows of opportunity, which we are sure will present themselves.
in short, just make them increase defense spending, peaceful resistance.. Which of course is a drop in the UK defense budget... but it is practically free for us to make those drops run..
In a war of attrition, you lose
You havent put your finger on any sore AC, but posted such a ridiculous statement that no way reflected reality, in the long term the Falklands will develop, it will not be a population of 3600 any more but a thriving little country with the same rites of any other country in the UN, technology will be so advanced that travelling from Europe to South America will take far far less than it does now, there will be no geopolitical change, no window of opportunity, just a thriving wealthy little country with a jealous neighbour crying its eyes out, in a war of attrition the Falklands will certainly not lose, another deluded fantasy by a fanatical Peronist fantasist living on a different planet to reality, probably called Uranus,
Apr 25th, 2023 - 06:22 pm - Link - Report abuse +2AC
Apr 25th, 2023 - 06:57 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Quite the opposite.
The Argentine claim is based on myths and lies, and relies on the fact that nobody bothers to check as nothing is going to change.
That will disappear over time, or more likely Argentina will fail as a state and become part of Greater Brazil
“We will keep the Claim open for future generations” That’s long gone.
Apr 25th, 2023 - 10:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“...But, after critically reviewing the bases for Argentina’s claim to sovereignty, one must conclude that Argentina never developed definite title to the Islands. None of the bases argued by Argentina are conclusive in establishing sovereignty. Applying the rules concerning the mode of extinctive prescription to Great Britain's claim results in a different conclusion. Extinctive prescription involves possession, ... However, since this was such a long period of time, exceeding eighty years, one could conclude under general principles of international law that this was a sufficient period to extinguish Argentina's claim in spite of her diplomatic protests. Regardless of the conclusion reached above, however, the establishment of the world courts changed the situation so that diplomatic protests were no longer sufficient to keep Argentina's claim to sovereignty alive.”
The Falklands (Malvinas) Islands: An International Law Analysis of the Dispute Between Argentina and Great Britain Major James Francis Gravelle
MILITARY LAW REVIEW CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ISSUES
Pamphlet NO. 27-100-107 HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY; Washington, D.C., Winter 1985
https://tjaglcspublic.army.mil/documents/27431/2250255/View+the+PDF/9f574121-93e6-4494-a347-89f4999c3bee
‘a war of attrition’ LOL, cloud cuckoo land, as we say.
Apr 25th, 2023 - 11:17 pm - Link - Report abuse +2You don’t have the resources to provide for yourselves never mind ‘wear down’ anyone else.
In what way is Argentina having any influence or effect whatsoever in the S. Atlantic???
Can you not see what’s happening, everything is moving on without Argentina.
Accelerated by the increasing economic devastation of the country, rapidly making Argentina less and less relevant to anyone, other than as a begging bowl problem, where Argentina is completely unable to affect anything including its own destiny, never mind anyone else’s.
‘political struggles over the economic model to follow’, this is called re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
‘internal issues to worry about, economic reorganization, inflation etc’, ‘worry about’, this is way, way past ‘worry about’, try panic or flee somewhere else, as in quick.
Your strategy does not seem to be at all effective, such that you may not even survive it.
Good comment found on Quora (not mine)
Apr 25th, 2023 - 11:41 pm - Link - Report abuse +1”Britain’s military presence in the Falklands I think cost between £70–100 million out of a £40 billion budget. So 0.25% of Britain’s defence budget split between army, navy, and air force. Of course our NATO commitments involve spending 2% of GDP so the money would have to be spent anyway. And protecting people against would-be colonisers is a good thing to do.
The army contribution includes 1200 soldiers. This counts against the Falklands defence budget and is expensive (the annual salary for a Private is just over £20,000, meaning that’s £25 million per year on salaries alone. Throw in other costs and that’s half the defence budget of the Falklands - but the troops have to be stationed somewhere and it doesn’t cost notably more to station them in the Falklands than anywhere in the UK other than which shops they spend their pay in.
RAF Mount Pleasant contains a single flight of four Eurofighter Typhoons (or as many as Germany had active in 2018) - but also an air to air refuelling plane, extending the operational reach of anything we want to fly down there. Also two Search & Rescue helicopters and a transport/search and rescue plane. And communications. Mare Harbour provides a naval base in the South Atlantic for refuelling, repairs, and again that extends the reach of the Royal Navy making our running a blue water navy more effective. And HMS Forth currently operates out of Mare Harbour
Basically we’re running a single base and a single harbour down there somewhere that significantly extends our strategic reach to the point there’s a non-trivial chance we’d invest it anyway even if we trusted the Argentines to not try and conquer it.”
quora ? hahaha
Apr 26th, 2023 - 02:18 am - Link - Report abuse -1Argentine Government Official 1 : “The citizens are getting restless. Our economy is in tatters. What can we do?”
Apr 26th, 2023 - 02:38 am - Link - Report abuse 0Argentine Government Official 2: *points eastward out over the ocean toward the Falklands* “This will distract them.”
Argentine Government Official 1: “Good idea, that always works.”
Argentina usual modus operandi, hasn’t changed in years. Rather than focus on their troubles at home and actually deal with them. They gripe/ groan and remove attention from their domestic agenda. The Junta did it and the Argie government does it now. The more things change the more they stay the same. In one word = pathetic.
Argie Zit - “quora ? hahaha”
Apr 26th, 2023 - 04:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0Seriously, is that the best you have?
So, for every $1m Argentina spends, Britain has to spend $10? Is that correct? It seems like a fair investment, really!
Apr 26th, 2023 - 08:29 am - Link - Report abuse 0The thing is, Britain spends very little, in terms of defence budget, on defending the Falkland Islands. There is no real threat from Argentina at the moment. Perhaps one day there might be, but it would take an idiot to even consider invading right now.... Oh, yes, of course.... :-)
The cost of defending the Islands is currently met by Her Majesty's Government, and is estimated to amount 0.177% of the total UK Defence budget annually. Beyond the cost of defence, the Falkland Islands do not receive any further financial assistance from the United Kingdom.
Apr 26th, 2023 - 10:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0https://www.falklands.gov.fk/self-sufficiency/
FitzRoy
Apr 27th, 2023 - 12:11 am - Link - Report abuse +2Yeah, like Argentina has $1m to spend on anything.
That is CFK’s shoe budget for next year, on expenses of course.
Pugol, this is what AC is suggesting is going to happen in the distant future, his so called Geopolitical change , turning up the pressure and war of attrition,
Apr 27th, 2023 - 08:25 am - Link - Report abuse +11 that Argentina will become a major power and have the the strength to capture the islands,
or isolate them so badly from the rest of the world,
2 China or Russia will fight a a war for them (great choice of allies )
3 China will be the Economic giant of the world and will do Argentinas bidding with economic pressure, (hence the cosying up to them now)
4 All of South American will get together and either militarily or economically try to choke strangle the Falklands and Britain, forcing them to talk about sovereignty,
5 Britain ,USA France and all of the other western powers will no longer be a force,
All of this is pure fantasy,
Juan Cervantes
Apr 27th, 2023 - 12:53 pm - Link - Report abuse +1Yes, absolutely true.
And not an un-common attitude amongst the Malvinazi community. Read the comment at the bottom of this article on the same subject:
https://www.escenariomundial.com/2023/04/26/malvinas-se-completaron-las-obras-de-modernizacion-del-aeropuerto/
However it is far, far better for us that they continue down this ‘Yellow Brick Road’, not to be confused with the road to BRICS, rather than they start trying to come up with a ‘real world plan’.
Argy Planter should be commended for his insight and clear understanding of the real situation and we should realise how dangerous this is for British control over the S. Atlantic/Antarctic, longer term.
And we should stress how seriously worrying this ‘cunning plan’ is for us, as it’s so well thought out that there is no effective counter to it and if they continue with it the ‘fall of the Falklands’ (as predicted by Angel in the link) is inevitable.
Nothing should be done on our part to dissuade them from this line of thinking.
Meanwhile hyperinflation, economic collapse and one sided deals with China will do the rest.
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