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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, MAY 7, 1982
PAGE 6
their fleet. They will no longer be able to keep isolated, vulnerable
destroyers between West Falkland and the mainland coast--that's for sure.
Not only did the Sheffield lack air cover, it was underarmed, lacking
sufficient on-board anti-missile defenses. British destroyers of the Type
4 2
class have powerful "Sea Dart" missiles but these apparently are not
effective against the low-flying, wave-skimming Exocets. The Royal Navy
does possess an effective counter-weapon, the "Seawolf," but because of
budget cuts only two smaller frigates are equipped with them. The Royal
Navy's main role is to fight the Soviet navy which does not have Exocet-type
missiles: hence it finds itself in an exposed position relative to the
Argentines, and their French weapons.
(The British also are rueing the
decision of having sold to the Argentines two Type 42 destroyers equipped
with Sea Darts.)
In sum, officials of the Royal Navy, NATO and the Pentagon are all said to
be extremely concerned over the apparent vulnerability of the British task
force in the South Atlantic.
---
Weakness notwithstanding, if there is no diplomatic solution the British
have to make a decision by mid-June at the latest (the onset of winter)-
withdraw or get onto the Falklandssomehow.
There seems to be little
difficulty establishing a Falklands presence--the question is holding it in
light of their questionable air power.
(This is apparently why 20 more
Royal Air Force model Harriers are on the way.)
U.S. Navy Secretary John Lehman, criticizing British military conduct in
the Falklands, said yesterday the Argentine plane that destroyed the
British destroyer could not have gotten near a U.S. ship in a
similar
situation. He told a press briefing U.S. ships would not have operated in a
combat zone without the air cover provided by a naval battle group.
Nevertheless, despite Secretary Lehman's professed belief in the superior
ity of the U.S. Navy, critics of his plan to beef up the force to over 600
vessels are concerned over the vulnerability of such super-costly ships as
$ 3. 3
billion nuclear aircraft carriers. And the Navy's newest carrier
launched attack plane, the F-18, costs $25.6 million each!
"Hispanismo"
Meanwhile, Argentina's underdog battle with the Spanish world's traditional
enemy, Great Britain, is causing the Latin Americans to rally around t�e
latent cause of "Hispanismo"--Latin American solidarity. Even Cuba is get
ting into the act. Reported Reuters on May 1, 1982:
A Havana radio broadcast [recently] said Great Britain was trying
to use force to gain territory it does not own.
"The peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean confirm who is
their historical enemy," a recent Cuban broadcast said. "Now is
the time of the Latin American solidarity. The cause of the Las
Malvinas is the cause of the Argentine people and, therefore, the
cause of Latin America and the Caribbean.
"It is imperative to stop the aggression and impose the law," the
broadcast continued. "The Latin American countries have the duty