This Police Department is Hiring.

[Stampede]

I rather be a detective sergeant in the Falklands than a cop in any US city. Safer and a lot less stressful I’m sure.

That is one place I'd like to visit. It would be an amazing trip and memorable place to see.

Don't know if I'd take a permanent job down there, but it would be interesting for just a year or two.

Of course there is little chance that Argentina will ever try to retake "The Malvinas" as their military is nothing like it was back in '82. Guess the ex Dutch F-16A/B MLUs are a start though.

 

[BHPSteel]

That is one place I'd like to visit. It would be an amazing trip and memorable place to see.

Don't know if I'd take a permanent job down there, but it would be interesting for just a year or two.

Of course there is little chance that Argentina will ever try to retake "The Malvinas" as their military is nothing like it was back in '82. Guess the ex Dutch F-16A/B MLUs are a start though.

On the politics, the Argentinians may not need to invade. The British Government has for some time been considering the pressure from the "International Community" that the British hand the land "back" (even though the Argentinians have a very poor legal claim to the land). And what's more, the British ability to project force over 8,000 miles is much diminished in 2024. It wasn't much to write home about in 1982.

The Falklands War was a damn close-run thing.

It's wild and beautiful land, but have plenty of dry socks. And really, once you've seen one panorama of upland gorse and lichen, you've seen 'em all. But Stanley is a welcoming settlement and they try hard to treat tourists as well as they can.

 

[Stampede]

On the politics, the Argentinians may not need to invade. The British Government has for some time been considering the pressure from the "International Community" that the British hand the land "back" (even though the Argentinians have a very poor legal claim to the land). And what's more, the British ability to project force over 8,000 miles is much diminished in 2024. It wasn't much to write home about in 1982.

The Falklands War was a damn close-run thing.

It's wild and beautiful land, but have plenty of dry socks. And really, once you've seen one panorama of upland gorse and lichen, you've seen 'em all. But Stanley is a welcoming settlement and they try hard to treat tourists as well as they can.

I have read that the mostly British residents always vote to remain under British rule. Not surprising and quite understandable. That alone gives the British government a reason to resist any hand over of control. However it costs a lot to keep a reasonable number of Royal Marines stationed there along with a couple of RAF Typhoons. Not sure they can afford it with their reduced defense budgets.

The British naval forces are in some ways very capable and others they have a lower capacity than '82. Their new QE carriers have had some development issues and seem to spend a lot of time in port. No long range bombers, like the Avro Vulcans, removes one offensive option that was available back in '82.

Had Argentina hit the HMS Hermes or invincible with an exocet, the outcome might have changed or at least taken taken longer with greater British losses

Sounds like you went there. How long ago was that?

 

[BHPSteel]

I have read that the mostly British residents always vote to remain under British rule. Not surprising and quite understandable. That alone gives the British government a reason to resist any hand over of control. However it costs a lot to keep a reasonable number of Royal Marines stationed there along with a couple of RAF Typhoons. Not sure they can afford it with their reduced defense budgets.

The British naval forces are in some ways very capable and others they have a lower capacity than '82. Their new QE carriers have had some development issues and seem to spend a lot of time in port. No long range bombers, like the Avro Vulcans, removes one offensive option that was available back in '82.

Had Argentina hit the HMS Hermes or invincible with an exocet, the outcome might have changed or at least taken taken longer with greater British losses

Sounds like you went there. How long ago was that?

I was flown in just after the Argentinian surrender to do some paperwork, being a government drone at the time.

Economically, the Falklands is complicated. Having two outposts (the other being South Georgia) so close to Antarctica is valuable because it increases the diplomatic argument that Britain gets to lay claim to mineral deposits that are discovered and extracted there (if ever). The per capita defense costs are astronomical and if the right (=wrong) combination of diplomats and government leadership cycles into power, the Falklanders know that they'll be fooked, and will see a foreign flag raised above their homeland.

On the military side, the only reason the Avro Vulcan managed to make it to bomb (and not too effectively bomb) the airport was with mid-air refueling with a gas nacelle scavenged (if I remember correctly) from an F-15 that was sitting around in a workshop on Ascension. Again, if memory serves, none of the Vulcan aircrews had any experience in air refueling either.

The Royal Navy had very little in the way of effective anti-missile defense - especially for something as advanced as an Exocet. If the Argentinians had owned more than half a dozen Exocets and/or been better at evading CAP, disabling the Hermes was a very real possibility. She didn't have what the USN would consider effective CIWS, and hitting an incoming missile going a tad under the speed of sound with 20mm cannon or flak is HARD.

 

[HERMET]

They do have some crime down there. While it would be relatively easy to hide a body, the population is small enough that anyone who went missing would be noted pretty quickly.

I believe most of the crime there involves sheep 🐑 and alcohol and not necessarily in that order.

 

[Stampede]

I was flown in just after the Argentinian surrender to do some paperwork, being a government drone at the time.

Economically, the Falklands is complicated. Having two outposts (the other being South Georgia) so close to Antarctica is valuable because it increases the diplomatic argument that Britain gets to lay claim to mineral deposits that are discovered and extracted there (if ever). The per capita defense costs are astronomical and if the right (=wrong) combination of diplomats and government leadership cycles into power, the Falklanders know that they'll be fooked, and will see a foreign flag raised above their homeland.

On the military side, the only reason the Avro Vulcan managed to make it to bomb (and not too effectively bomb) the airport was with mid-air refueling with a gas nacelle scavenged (if I remember correctly) from an F-15 that was sitting around in a workshop on Ascension. Again, if memory serves, none of the Vulcan aircrews had any experience in air refueling either.

Yeah...it may be a just matter of time. We'll see how the new labor government views things and if anything changes. But I'd think a decision to relinquish control would be very unpopular among the British population.

Yeah the Vulcan raid was really more psychological than anything else. Just thinking a similar raid wouldn't be possible today.

Had Argentina selected Chinese aircraft ( JF-17s or J-10s) as their future fighters, it would have put a lot more pressure on the British to increase their defensive capabilities in the islands. Modern Argentinian combat aircraft with long range weapons, with no restrictions on their use, would probably create panic in London.

 

[Miatadude]

A few years ago I was offered a contract ATC job on Ascension Island but turned it down as there is nothing to do but sit around and wait for a few military aircraft to land or depart during the week.

I was there for a few days back in 95 or 96. Helped to install a new TACAN antenna and trained the guys on it. I did drink some pretty good beer there.

 

[Deleted member 91798]

I rather be a detective sergeant in the Falklands than a cop in any US city. Safer and a lot less stressful I’m sure.

Same, I rather be back in the labs working with germ agents.

 

[swatsn1per]

The annual average is around 5.6 °C (42 °F). Thats a hard pass, I'm too used to hot Georgia weather.