British troops have practiced retaking the disputed Falkland Islands in the event of another Argentine attempt to take over the territory, The Times has reported.
The exercise comes as tensions rise between Britain and Argentina over a British-Israeli oil project near the islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas. Buenos Aires claims sovereignty over the territory and surrounding waters.
The drills, held from September 27 to October 2, included amphibious landings for the first time in years, according to the newspaper. During the exercise, Argentina announced international arbitration proceedings against Britain in an effort to block the $2.2 billion oil project.
British forces regularly hold exercises with local troops on the islands. The latest Cape Upholder drills involved around 150 British paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), and 100 members of the Falkland Islands Defense Force.
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The exercise took place in several locations on East Falkland, including near San Carlos where British troops landed during the 1982 war with Argentina. According to The Times, the drills included amphibious operations to retake the islands, rather than the usual focus on defending them.
Argentine President Javier Milei, an ally of US President Donald Trump, has renewed his country’s claim to the islands and opposed the Sea Lion oil project. British firm Rockhopper and Israeli company Navitas plan to begin oil production about 220 km (137 miles) north of the islands in early 2028.
Britain has also urged Interpol to reject Argentine requests to arrest people involved in the Sea Lion project, including British nationals, The Guardian reported. London argues that the requests are politically motivated.
In early September, Milei announced plans to revive a naval base project in Ushuaia, southern Argentina. He called British plans to extract oil claimed by Argentina a threat to its sovereignty and reaffirmed Buenos Aires’ goal of regaining control over the Falklands.
Trump has also questioned whether Britain retains the military capabilities it had under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the 1982 Falklands War, while declining to give a clear commitment of US support in the event of another conflict.
“You went there and you just took it back very quickly,” Trump said in a September interview with GB News. “I just don’t know if you have the capacity to do it.”
The Times quoted the commanding officer of the 2 PARA contingent as saying the exercise “gave us the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of our forefathers” while also exploring “how the cyber and space domains could affect missions like this in the modern era.”
The islands had no permanent indigenous population before European settlement. France, Britain, Spain, and Argentina subsequently established settlements or asserted authority over the archipelago before Britain took control in 1833.
The Russian government supports neither side’s territorial claim, advocates for peaceful resolution of the dispute, and opposes possible militarization of the South Atlantic.
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