Americans doubt Argentinians will stage raids

Press, 21 January 1983, Page 6

Americans doubt Argentinians will stage raids

NZPA Washingtor American defence experts discounted reports yesterday that Argentina might attack British targets in the Falkland Islands. These experts said that suggestions the Argentinians might undertake hit-and-run type attacks had been received from unspecified European analysts, but that American specialists had given such suggestions little weight. The nationality of the European analysts was withheld by these sources. C.B.S. news has quoted American intelligence sources as saying that Argentina might take some sort of military action. But in Buenos Aires the privatelyowned D.Y.N. news agencyquoted an unidentified highranking military official as saying that the report was without foundation and that "it is possible Britain planted the story in an effort to justify the 4000 men it has stationed in the Malvinas (Falklands)." The Falkland Islands, controlled by Britain for 133 years, were seized by Argentine troops on April 2 last year. British forces regained control after fighting that lasted 74 days. American defence officials who specialise in Latin American affairs said that the Argentinians and British "are going to do some posturing" while the Falklands issue remains a sore point between them. Asked if he was aware of any evidence of Argentinian military preparations, one of these specialists said: “We have not seen anything along that line." According to American intelligence, the Argentine Air Force has replaced much of its losses suffered at British hands. The Air Force, and the Navy's Fleet Air Arm, inflicted serious losses on the British, sinking several warships and damaging others.

Argentine Navy Super Etendard fighter-bombers launched the Exocet missiles that sank the destroyer Sheffield and the requisitioned container ship Atlantic Conveyor. At last report the Argentinian air force had 94 warplanes compared with 123 before the outbreak of the war.

In one respect the Navy’s Fleet Air Arm is better off now than before the war. It now has 10 Super Etendards, compared with only five when the war began. The Air Force has restored its force of French-built Mirage 111 and Mirage 5 fighterbombers to a total of 52. Older American-built Skyhawks and British-built Canberra light bombers lost in the conflict have not been replaced. In Buenos Aires diplomatic sources said that the Argentine Air Force had moved two squadrons of Mirages to southern air bases within striking distance of the Falklands three weeks ago. The purpose of moving the supersonic Mirages was not immediately clear.

The sources said that the new Air Force chief. Briga-dier-General Jorge Augusto Hughes, had made strong public statements recently, repeating that Argentina’s conflict with Rritian over the islands had not ended.

They said that hard-liners in the Air Force might be trying to pull off a series of specutacular raids on the Falklands to redress the Armed Forces’ sense of humiliation at last year’s military defeat.

On the other hand, the transfer of the Mirages could have been nothing more than a redeployment of planes to bolster Argentina’s southern air defences now that most of the fighter-bombers lost in the conflict, had been replaced. the sources said.

The 4th Brigade of the Argentine Army, also based at Cordoba, was being trained as a crack commando unit, the sources said. In London British defence sources said that Argentinamight be able to mount commando raids for propaganda purposes on remote parts of the Falklands. British officers had long expected Argentina to start trying to probe the defences of the islands. “They could hoist the Argentine flag, take some pictures and then depart .before anyone knew they were there - if they landed in some of the remoter areas," a defence official said. The Defence Ministry was said to be taking seriously the reports. It is believed that there would be little the British garrison could do to prevent a small, temporary landing on a remote area of the disputed islands. “There are just not enough troops to line all the cliffs around the islands,” one Whitehall official said.