January 2012

Soldier’s Wise Words on the Falklands - Sir Michael Jackson gave a startling warning about the Falklands, prompted by the "disagreeable noises coming from Buenos Aires".      He said that should Argentineans gain a foothold on the islands, and in particular to take the Mount Pleasant airfield, the key to the British defence plans, “Britain 'could not reclaim the Falklands”.    If there was to be an invasion - as occurred 30 years ago this April – and the airfield was taken, this time there would be no way back, says the former Chief of the General Staff. Defence cuts mean we can no longer react in the way we did then.    "What if an Argentinean force was able to secure the airfield  ? Then our ability to recover the islands now would be just about impossible.   "We are not in a position to take air power by sea since the demise of the Harrier force."   Private consultants were paid more than a million pounds to broker the sale of Britain's mothballed Harrier fleet, which performed with such distinction in the Falklands.   "Let us hope we don't live to regret that decision."