Argentina decries SAR deployment
At the start of February, Flt Lt Wales (Prince William), a Sea King search and rescue (SAR) helicopter pilot for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF), began a six-week deployment to the Falkland Islands, after which President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina announced that a formal complaint will be made to the United Nations regarding the UK’s ‘militarisation’ of the territory.
At the start of February, Flt Lt Wales (Prince William), a Sea King search and rescue (SAR) helicopter pilot for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF), began a six-week deployment to the Falkland Islands, after which President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina announced that a formal complaint will be made to the United Nations regarding the UK’s ‘militarisation’ of the territory. The UK is also to send the warship HMS Dauntless to the region.
Although both postings have been described by the British military as routine, Fernandez told a meeting of politicians and veterans of the 1982 Falklands war that ‘the deployment of an ultra-modern destroyer accompanying the heir to the throne’ could only be interpreted as militarising the South Atlantic. She added: “This militarisation poses a grave danger to international security.”
The UK Foreign Office responded by reiterating its position that the residents of the islands choose to be British, and the UK government will not discuss sovereignty unless at the islanders’ request.
In an RAF release, Officer Commanding Search and Rescue, Squadron Leader Miles Barnett commented: “A posting to operations in the Falklands is a vital part of the career progression for a SAR pilot. The experience they get here is second-to-none. It is a challenging and varied job providing an essential capability to the military and the Falkland Islands population.”
The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as ‘Las Malvinas’, is a self-governing British Overseas Territory that lies 250 miles (400 km) off the coast of Argentina.
A video is available here.
Image: Flt Lt Wales and his crew prepare for their first Falkland Islands sortie / UK RAF