Just How Much Did the U.S. Help?

The Argentine military establishment had no trouble last week explaining why Britain was able to recapture the Falklands: massive U.S. military assistance. Despite the Reagan Administration's declaration of support for Britain, Argentina's accusation is based much more on diplomatic posturing than fact. British officials emphatically point out that almost all the assistance made available to Britain by the U.S. was the result of longstanding agreements within NATO. Whitehall officials say that at least 90% of the equipment used in the Falklands was British. "All these claims that U.S. technology won the Falklands war for Britain are nonsense," says a senior British official, "It played a part, and we are very grateful for that, but it was not the decisive element in our victory." Included in the military aid that the U.S. did supply:

Fuel. As part of a routine agreement, the U.S. sent 1.5 million gal. of aviation fuel to the joint U.S.-British airbase at Ascension Island. It also made KC-135 aerial tankers available to Britain, but these were never sent to the South Atlantic. Instead, the Royal Air Force used its own KC-135s for midair refueling of Vulcan bombers making the 3,800-mile trip from Ascension to the Falklands, while U.S. planes in Europe were reassigned to British NATO duties.

Ammunition. The U.S. sold Britain an unspecified quantity of 20-mm shells and supplied sonar-equipped buoys for use in antisubmarine warfare. Washington officials will not say if any of this equipment was ever used on the islands.

Missiles. The U.S. sold Britain about 100 AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (for $48,000 apiece). Of 27 Sidewinders fired by Harriers during the war, 23 scored hits. These, however, were most probably British missiles; the U.S.-supplied Sidewinders were apparently used only to replenish inventories in Britain. Also supplied were highly effective laser target indicators for British ground forces and a radar system for the Royal Navy's Sea wolf surface-to-air missiles.

Intelligence and Communications. As a NATO ally, Britain always had regular access to the U.S.-built Defense Satellite Communications System, which relays encrypted messages around the world. Routine information from U.S. meteorological satellites was also available, although their effectiveness was severely limited by bad weather over the South Atlantic.

By no means did London get everything it wanted. Lacking an effective airborne early-warning system to protect its naval task force from surprise air attacks, the British asked to borrow an undisclosed number of U.S. AWACS. Washington refused on the grounds that American servicemen, who would be necessary to man the aircraft, should not become involved in the conflict.

Ironically, the most impressive weapon in the war came from Argentina's arsenal: the French-built Exocet missiles, which sank the H.M.S. Sheffield. And in the final analysis, military experts agree, Argentina was defeated not by sophisticated weaponry but by the superior training, tactics and morale of the British forces.

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