Buenos Aires, December 20, 2025 - Total News Agency - TNA - The recent military operation 'Southern Sovereignty' conducted by the United Kingdom in the Falkland Islands and adjacent areas of the South Atlantic has reignited the historical debate over British advances in maritime spaces under Argentine jurisdiction beyond the exclusion zone established during the 1982 war, and the persistent militarization of the archipelago.
During the South Atlantic conflict, the United Kingdom not only imposed a maritime and air exclusion zone around the Falklands but also de facto expanded its operational control over extensive areas of the Argentine Sea through naval patrols, submarine deployments, and control of navigation lines.
This maritime occupation, which exceeded the initially declared limits, allowed London to secure naval superiority, disrupt Argentine movements, and lay the foundations for a permanent military presence that was consolidated after the end of hostilities. Since then, the United Kingdom has maintained a sustained scheme of maritime and air control in the South Atlantic, with permanent patrols, regular exercises, and robust military infrastructure in the Falklands.
Observers of the strategic scene note that the official silence does not change the underlying reality: the United Kingdom maintains and reinforces a military device that consolidates its control over the Falklands and extensive areas of the South Atlantic, with direct implications for Argentina's sovereign interests and the geopolitical balance in the region.
The operation was joined by deployments in South Georgia and on Ascension Island, key points within the British logistical network. The naval deployment, combined with the presence of land troops and air assets, aimed to test London's ability to exercise effective control over a vast and hard-to-reach maritime space.
Military analysts point out that this type of exercise has not only a defensive objective but also reaffirms a permanent operational occupation of the South Atlantic, reinforcing deterrence against any attempt to question sovereignty.
The air component included Eurofighter Typhoon superiority fighters and A400M strategic transport aircraft, operating from the Falklands. This capability allows the United Kingdom to rapidly sustain forces in the Argentine archipelago, guarantee control of airspace, and ensure logistical connections with other bases under its control.
The exercise was coordinated by British forces in the South Atlantic and was centered on the HMS Forth ocean patrol vessel, which acted as a command platform for simultaneous operations in maritime, land, and air domains. Mount Pleasant Base became the central axis of this strategy, allowing for long-range aerial projection and continuous surveillance over Argentine maritime spaces.
The 'Southern Sovereignty' operation, carried out in December, fits into this historical logic. In parallel, troops of the Royal Irish Regiment were deployed on a rotational basis, consolidating a flexible and decentralized presence scheme. Defense specialists emphasize that these deployments deepen the militarization of a territory whose sovereignty remains in dispute and, in fact, extend British control over maritime areas of national jurisdiction.
The Falkland Islands are Argentine. This does not change the reality.
