Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 4 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 March 2010. It was answered by Bob Ainsworth (Labour) on Monday, 15 March 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the armed forces are able to undertake a military operation on the scale and complexity of that undertaken for the Falklands War.

Answer: We take our responsibility to defend the Falkland Islands and the other UK Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic very seriously indeed. We maintain a permanent garrison in the Falkland Islands in order to deter any aggression and regularly deploy other military assets to the region to demonstrate military capability and political resolve. The level of forces required is reviewed regularly. We retain both the commitment and the capability to defend the UK Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic.

Secondary information