HOW CAN THE MARINES LEARN FROM THE FALKLANDS WAR?
NOLAN VIHLENNOVEMBER 23, 2022
How does one stop a revisionist autocracy from invading its island neighbor? If the invasion lands on this nation’s shores, how does one force the withdrawal of an adversary with local numerical superiority while operating at hundreds or even thousands of miles from main logistical hubs? In 1982, the British had to solve this exact problem when the military junta of Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands after years of claiming sovereignty over the British Overseas Territory. There are disquieting parallels between Operation Corporate, the British victory in its long-range, expeditionary operation to recapture the Falklands from Argentina and the challenges focused around the defense of Taiwan from China.
The U.S. Marine Corps has made it a priority to address the rise of great-power competition in the Indo-Pacific. British forces in the Falklands operated in a similar manner to how the commandant envisions marines operating in the future: small formations distributed across vast expanses of maritime terrain, relatively limited indirect fire support, and limited traditional close air support. Vertical lift aircraft were critical to enabling British maneuver and logistical sustainment in the South Atlantic. But these aircraft are largely absent from new Marine Corps concepts.
To address these discrepancies, I offer a brief overview of relevant lessons learned during Operation Corporate. After capturing these lessons learned, I turn to ways to better incorporate them into the Marine concepts, specifically focused on maximizing current and future vertical lift capabilities.
Operation Corporate
https://warontherocks.com/2022/11/how-can-marines-learn-from-the-falklands-war/
