UK issues Falklands update on air, land and sea defence plans | UK | News
Falklands defense on the agenda again this week (Image: Getty)
UK ministers have published an update on plans to defend the Falkland Islands by air, land and sea.
The Falkland Islands are a British territory belonging to the United Kingdom, but have consistently been the subject of sovereignty claims by neighboring Argentina.
Following US President Donald Trump’s latest threats to ‘review’ Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, as well as the Argentinian president’s ongoing demands for land, British ministers this week demanded a review of air, land and sea defenses for the region.
Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox asked whether the Secretary of State had recently reviewed the defense of the Falkland Islands and also whether any steps were required to improve its preparedness.
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Falkland Islands are British (Image: Getty)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary Alistair Carns confirmed that the UK’s long-standing stance on the islands remains: “sovereignty vests in the UK and the Islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount.”
He said: “The UK’s position in the Falkland Islands is longstanding; sovereignty remains with the UK and the Islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount.
“As outlined in the Strategic Defense Review, a key role for Defense is the protection of the UK’s overseas territories, which includes maintaining a defensive military posture comprising air, land and sea forces in the Falkland Islands.
“We review this posture regularly to ensure that it reflects all relevant developments. I am confident that our current military presence is at an appropriate level to ensure the defense of the Islands.”
Argentina has called for talks with Britain over the Falkland Islands following reports that the US may review its position in the South Atlantic region in retaliation for Sir Keir Starmer’s failure to support the war in Iran.
Downing Street has previously insisted that the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is “not in question”.
This follows an internal Pentagon email explaining options for the President Donald Trumpadministration will punish NATO allies who refuse to join US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The memo, first reported by Reuters, proposes a reassessment of U.S. diplomatic support for “imperial possessions” such as the Falkland Islands.
Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and occupied them in 1982 before being defeated in a short but bloody war.
Downing Street has said Britain’s attitude towards the Falkland Islands will not change.
“The Falkland Islands have previously voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, and we have always stood by the islanders’ right to self-determination and the fact that sovereignty resides with the United Kingdom,” a No 10 spokesman said.
“The question of the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and the United Kingdom and the islanders’ right to self-determination is not at issue, and we have expressed this position clearly and consistently.”
