The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Britain is no longer the Britain of 1982. Over the past two decades, Britain's national strength has continued to decline and it has become increasingly dependent on the United States.

And Argentina is no longer the Argentina of 1982.

After Armando Mayora came to power, he carried out drastic reforms in Argentina, nationalizing oil, natural gas, minerals, etc. one after another, so that the country had money for construction and national defense.

Armando Mayora continued to strengthen the army through various means.

So far, the Argentine army under Armando Mayora has a total active force of 29 and a reserve force of 140 million. The army is the largest branch of the Argentine army, with a total force of 20. It mainly consists of 12 mixed divisions, 4 rapid response divisions, and 4 mechanized brigades, most of which have achieved full mechanization and rapid mobility. The army is equipped with more than 720 main battle tanks, as well as various other armored vehicles and artillery.

海军方面，阿根廷海军拥有2.6万人，拥有一艘001型航母、6艘052型导弹驱逐舰、12艘054型护卫舰、10艘022型导弹艇、20艘022A型鱼雷艇、8艘巡逻舰、5艘巡逻艇、海岸猎雷艇2艘、其他船只20艘，以及有一支海军陆战队。装备有装甲侦察车12辆、1个81式水陆两用坦克支援营等。

空军方面有6.4万人，战斗机主力为进口的20架歼11战斗机、60架歼10战斗机，以及超过200架的歼7系列战斗机、歼8系列战斗机，关键时候装备的教练机都可以参与战斗。而且还装备有4架空警200、4架空警500、10架运8加油机、10架运9加油机、上百架‘雷雕’武装直升机。

Reserve force. Argentina implements compulsory military service with a service period of 2-3 years. Those who have completed their service enter the reserve force and can be mobilized to participate in national defense in a short period of time.

In recent years, Armando Mayora knew that Argentina's military industry level was average, so he stockpiled a large number of bullets, artillery shells, missiles, and rockets.

It can be said that Armando Mayora made several years of preparation in order to retake the Falkland Islands.

Whether it is exporting grain, beef and mutton, wool, iron ore, etc., Armando Mayora is doing anything that can be used to exchange for weapons and equipment.

Last year, when the US subprime mortgage crisis hit, Armando Mayora was still hesitating whether to use force to take back the Falkland Islands and divert the conflict. This year, with the outbreak of the US financial crisis and its spread to Argentina, Armando Mayora had very few options.

It can even be said that Armando Mayora's only option is the Falkland Islands.

It would naturally be best if the British only engaged in a war of words and did not make a big fuss and fight a war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

If the British insist on fighting the Second Falklands War, Armando Mayora is not afraid!
The British government at this time was in a dilemma.

If you want to go on an expedition, you must have a strong fleet to form an expeditionary force.

Britain is thousands of miles away from Argentina.

It is impossible for the British Navy to send out all its forces. After all, some warships are under repair, and Britain must also retain sufficient guard forces to avoid being exploited.

The current British armed forces have an active strength of 21 troops, including equipment for the navy, army and air force. Including patrol boats and the like, including armed ships that can be converted, there are only 75 warships, more than 200 tanks and nearly 700 aircraft in total.

Among them, the British army has 6 troops, more than 150 tanks and 400 aircraft in the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.

At this moment, unless Britain withdraws its troops from the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq, or mobilizes for war, how can it fight Argentina?

Moreover, even if war mobilization is carried out, it will not be completed in one year.

Although the British are extremely angry and the calls for war are still high, once they mobilize for war and conscript soldiers, they will probably find it difficult to recruit enough soldiers.

And when it comes to going to the battlefield, I'm afraid that young British people will shake their heads faster than anyone else. Moreover, Britain is in the midst of an economic crisis and has no money!

If this war is fought at all costs, it would be fine if we win, but if we lose, it would be a huge disaster for Britain.

But if it does not respond, Britain will lose all face in the world.

The UK tried to propose a resolution internationally to impose sanctions on Argentina, but not many people supported the UK. More countries supported Argentina. After all, more countries in the world believed that the Falkland Islands belonged to Argentina.

The UK tried to reach an agreement with the other four countries in the Security Council, but was vetoed mercilessly!

Other countries urged Britain not to start a war easily, but to resolve their differences through peaceful political consultation and dialogue.

In just a few days, Britain has become the laughing stock of the world.

Britain, which once opened the door to China and crushed Europe, was the empire on which the sun never set and a symbol of advancement and strength. But now, Britain's military strength is very weak, almost a shame for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In the 90s, the French army was ridiculed for its performance in Africa, and was always insulted. But now, people all over the world have discovered that the British army is not even as good as the French army.

This is simply a shame for the Five Constant Virtues.

The current situation in the UK is simply too embarrassing for the British people. They have been humiliated internationally and cannot hold their heads up.

Although Britain declared war, it was slow to launch military action.

The British are clamoring to use nuclear weapons, but it is not so easy to use nuclear weapons. Moreover, all British nuclear weapons are under the control of the Americans. The British have lost the right to manage their own nuclear weapons. Without the authorization of the United States, Britain cannot launch its own nuclear weapons.

In the 70s, Britain was equipped with more than 500 nuclear bombs, which were used to defend against the Soviet Union's attack. However, as Britain's national strength continued to decline, Britain began to reduce the size of its nuclear arsenal in order to reduce spending.

By now, the UK has long lost the ability to launch a triad nuclear strike, and the UK's nuclear strike mainly relies on ballistic missile nuclear submarines. Currently, the British Navy has a total of 4 nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear bombs, but these submarines are equipped with the US "Trident" IID5 missiles.

Without US authorization, Britain would not be able to launch its own nuclear weapons.

Now the British are clamoring to use nuclear weapons, but they are just trying to cover up themselves.

The British Prime Minister went to the United States in person to get American support.

But now the Americans are focused on rescuing the market and are unable to take care of themselves, so they are not very willing to help the British.

During the Falklands War, the Americans helped the British, but it came at a heavy price.

Moreover, the Americans are also somewhat apprehensive. The South American Union is also trying to learn from the European Union and work towards integration. If the United States helps the British now, will it arouse the unification of the entire South American Union?

It’s just that the British have given the United States huge support over the years, and they don’t care at all. The Americans are also worried that this will discourage the British. If this leads to the British actively integrating into the EU, joining the Franco-German alliance, and promoting European integration, that would be bad. (End of this chapter)