The Falklands War: Result of Britain's Lack of OPSEC
by Susana Johnson
Great Britain has had sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic since it conquered them from Argentina in 1833. Although the islands had lost their strategic value over the years, Great Britain did not want to return them to the Argentines, who had repeatedly stated that these islands, which they still call the Malvinas, belonged to them. It was difficult for Great Britain to tackle the great vulnerabilities it faced from Argentina's threats to retake the islands. Great Britain itself is almost 8,000 miles away, and leaving a large military contingency to protect the islands was political suicide for Great Britain's leadership. Argentina had displayed periods of intensified rhetoric throughout the years; however, in April 1982, it forcefully retook the islands. This paper will discuss Britain's lack of risk assessment and countermeasures that may have prevented this from occurring. A good OPSEC plan could have been used to protect civilians in this distant colony.
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