Argentina complains about UK-US naval operations in the South Atlantic

The Argentine government has expressed its official “concern” earlier this month about the joint military operations of an unidentified UK aircraft and the US Navy (USN) Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Greeneville (SSN 772) in South Atlantic waters, underscoring the continued strained relations between Buenos Aires and London.

The Argentine ministry of foreign affairs said in a 12 February release it is “very concerned” about the operations, arguing that they violate a UN General Assembly Resolution, which calls for the demilitarisation of the South Atlantic. In the release, the ministry also criticised British military facilities in the contested Falkland (Malvinas) islands, arguing that “these forces [are] illegally deployed [to advance the UK’s] global geostrategic goals”, and do not help improve bilateral relations.

The release was issued after a 10 February tweet by US Commander, South Forces Atlantic (COMSUBLANT) that featured photos of Greenville, taken by an unidentified British aircraft “from the British Independent Overseas Territory (BIOT) Falklands Islands”. COMSUBLANT has not disclosed where or when the operations took place, only that they occurred “in the South Atlantic open ocean, demonstrating the global reach of both nations’ forces”.

The Argentine ministry of foreign affairs announced on 15 January that Buenos Aires declined a US Coast Guard (USCG) offer to conduct joint operations to combat illegal fishing in the region, stressing that such activities are “exclusively carried out” by the Argentine government.

As part of Operation Southern Cross, which was conducted in conjunction with US Southern Command, USCG Legend-class cutter Stone