Britain is preparing to beef up its defenses in the Falkland Islands after reports surfaced that Russia is considering leasing 12 long-range bombers to Argentina.
According to The Telegraph, Argentine leaders have increased their rhetoric on the Falklands in recent years.
"The threat remains. It is a very live threat," Britain's defense secretary Michael Fallon said this week of Russia's plan to supply Argentina with the warplanes. "We have to respond to it."
"We do need to modernize our defenses to ensure that we have sufficient troops there and that the islands are properly defended in terms of air defense and maritime defense," he continued. "The threat, of course, to the islands remains but so does our commitment to being absolutely clear that islanders have the right to remain British and the right to proper protection by our forces."
The Falkland Islands, which were first claimed by Britain in 1765 with rule reasserted in 1833, were the subject of a short but bloody war in 1982 when Argentina attempted to take control of of some 300 miles of its coast in the south Atlantic Ocean.
Britain committed to spending more than $416 million over the next 10 years to build up the Falkland Island defenses to protect the British citizens
living there, the BBC News reported.
In the meantime, the country deployed two Chinook transport helicopters to help the Falkland Islands' garrison mount a "swift and decisive response" to any "emerging incidents," Fallon told British Parliament members this week.
It is also installing enhanced communication system at the military headquarters at Mount Pleasant to replace the Rapier air defense missiles, the BBC News noted.
"The review we have undertaken confirms our commitment to the Falkland Islands," Fallon told Parliament. "This review ensures we will continue to have the right mix of people, equipment and infrastructure to deliver that commitment in the years ahead."
The Guardian reported that British Prime Minister David Cameron also weighed in on the Falklands this week, saying that "the assurance that I can give the Falkland Islands is that we will always be there for them, we will always defend them."
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