Fall 2006 - Air & Space Power Chronicle - Air Force Link

112 AIR & SPACE POWER JOURNAL FALL 2006tigious British Royal Navy, which enjoyed superiorityin weapons and technology. Thus,this article uses the Argentinian air componentas the center of gravity, without overlookingthe series of events leading to armed conflict,for the purpose of making connectionsbetween the evolving events and the philosophicalconcepts in Carl von Clausewitz’s OnWar. The interpretative complexity of thisbook is well known, but the article seeks tohighlight certain events to help us think aboutand track down the facts in a different way.This approach will also let us determine if theconcepts outlined in On War, dating from asfar back as 1831, still apply because history hasproven that military leaders base their decisionson the counsel of various thinkers, includingthe Prussian military strategist.Political Aspects and ObjectivesIn 1982 the political destiny of the Republicof Argentina lay in the hands of a military government(imposed after Maria Estela Martinezde Peron fell from power in 1976), with GenLeopoldo Fortunato Galtieri acting as presidentand army chief of staff. During the previousyear, Galtieri had replaced Gen Roberto Viola,and because of his professional background,everybody thought that his mandate would bemoderate, transitional towards democracy,and contrary to Argentina’s integration withthe nonaligned countries, thus negating anyrisk of a military campaign in the South Atlantic.However, the deteriorating economy inheritedfrom the previous government infusedin General Galtieri the idea of recovering theFalkland Islands, a British colonial bastionsince 1833, to reverse his government’s fortunesand cover up economic difficulties.Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a ConservativeParty representative, led Great Britainin 1982. Despite the fact that she had wona second term by a large margin, in March ofthat year her popularity declined because ofhigh unemployment (affecting more than twomillion persons) and economic problems; indeed,her government appeared destined tobecome the worst in British history. But thepossibility of winning an armed conflict such asthe one in the Falkland Islands would give hergovernment an opportunity to overcome thecrisis and restore British pride. According toClausewitz, “War is not merely an act of policybut a true political instrument, a continuationof political intercourse, carried on with othermeans.” 1 This definition applied to both governmentsbecause the war confronting themwould settle their diplomatic differences byother means and produce a political instrumentto overcome each country’s difficult internalsituation.On 2 January 1833, Capt John Onslow,commanding the corvette Clio, took possessionof the Falkland Islands on behalf of GreatBritain. Onslow took advantage of his militarysuperiority to force Capt Don Jose Maria Pinedo,commander of the Argentinian navy warshipSarandí, and his staff to leave the islands. Fromthat day, Argentina lost sovereignty over thoselands, starting a long diplomatic controversyto recover them.Created in 1945, the United Nations (UN)included in its charter (chap. 10) the “DeclarationRelative to Non-Autonomous States,”which asked member states to indicate whichcolonies they intended to decolonize. To Argentina’ssurprise, Great Britain included theFalkland Islands among the 43 possessions itoffered. 2 But not until 1965 did the UN GeneralAssembly approve Resolution 2065, invitingboth governments to negotiate the statusof the islands. This resolution created a greatpolicy dilemma for the British, who had to decidewhether to (1) fulfill the resolution andrecognize Argentinian sovereignty over theFalkland Islands because they did not haveevidential documentation, (2) start actions todelay complying with the resolution, or (3) preparefor an armed confrontation. 3 AlthoughGreat Britain chose the second option, excessivedelays risked unleashing the third one.Given Argentina’s internal political issues,delays in the negotiations with Great Britain,and the Argentinian government’s role in anincident involving the Armada de la RepúblicaArgentina (ARA) (Argentinian navy) shipBahía Buen Suceso in the South Sandwich Islands,Argentina pushed for implementation