In the 40th anniversary year of the Falklands War, Derek Twigg writes just how the legacy of the war continues to impact Islanders and Veterans 40 years on, and what the future holds for the Islands.
39 years ago, Operation Paraquet – a subsidiary of Operation Corporate – led to the successful recapture of South Georgia by British Armed Forces. This followed an initial incursion on 3 April by the Argentine military, which was one of the earliest flashpoints of the Falkland Islands War.
The Falkland Islands has joined in paying tribute to the remarkable Captain Tom Moore, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Captain Tom, now made an honorary colonel, has raised more than 30 million pounds for the NHS by walking laps of his back garden.
The number of COVID-19 tested positive cases at Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falkland Islands has risen by one to thirteen, following on the latest 16 swab test results received by KEMH from the UK.
The Conservative and Unionist party manifesto for the coming 12 December election, Get Brexit Done Unleash Britain’s Potential, in one of its chapters includes a special mention to the democratic rights and the protection of the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and other Overseas Territories.
Two million United Kingdom public service workers including the Armed Forces are reportedly set to be given a £2 billion pay rise. The Times reports that soldiers will receive an increase of 2.9%, while police officers and dentists/consultants will both receive a 2.5% pay rise.
Sodexo has extended its contracts with the Ministry of Defense (MoD) to provide a range of support services to the UK’s Armed Forces in Cyprus and the Falkland Islands for a further three years.
Foreign nationals will be eligible to join the UK armed forces in greater numbers, ministers will announce, as British residency requirements for service are set to be scrapped. The Ministry of Defense will remove the need for Commonwealth citizens to have lived in the UK for five years before applying for service.
The Federal Prosecution Office from Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego has called for the arrest of 26 officers allegedly involved in torture practices against conscripts during the Falklands conflict in 1982. The case has been ongoing for over a decade but it remains at snail pace.
The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived in Gibraltar for her first overseas port visit. As she sailed into port under close security escort, UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson highlighted the Rock’s strategic role for UK military operations.