As part of the ongoing reinforcement of the British military presence in the South Atlantic, the British Army has begun a new and significant series of military exercises in the Malvinas Islands. The maneuvers, part of Exercise Cape Sword, will take place between October 6 and 14, 2025, under the responsibility of the 2nd Battalion of The Rifles Regiment (2 RIFLES), currently deployed as the Roulement Infantry Company (RIC) in the archipelago. Operations will include maritime and land insertions, urban patrols, simulated engagements with blank ammunition and pyrotechnic elements, both in Puerto Argentino and surrounding areas.
According to the British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI) base at Mount Pleasant, Exercise Cape Sword represents the culmination of the 2 RIFLES deployment in the islands, aimed at evaluating its response capability in various operational scenarios and its familiarization with the terrain. Activities will begin in the center of Puerto Argentino and extend to wider areas between October 7 and 9, with both day and night operations. The final phase is scheduled for October 10 and 11 near Wireless Ridge, where simulated combat drills will be carried out using parachute flares to recreate real combat conditions.
The exercise is part of a series of British military maneuvers conducted throughout 2025, which have also involved Gurkha units and Royal Air Force (RAF) assets. In March of this year, the Roulement Infantry Company and the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles Regiment (2 RGR) carried out Exercise Cape Kukri III, which included blank-fire drills at Onion Range and operations across the Challenger, Wall, Harriet, and Tumbledown hills. Likewise, an A400M tactical transport aircraft conducted cargo drops in the Pradera del Ganso area, marking the largest British logistical deployment in the islands in recent years.
The intensification of these maneuvers aligns with the UK’s defense policy outlined in the 2025 Strategic Defense Review, which emphasizes the geostrategic importance of the South Atlantic and justifies the modernization of Mount Pleasant base. Recent measures include radar upgrades, the life extension of Eurofighter Typhoon fighters, and the incorporation of new air defense systems, consolidating the Malvinas Islands as a key British projection point in the region.
From Argentina’s perspective, these actions are viewed as a reinforcement of the militarization process of the archipelago, whose sovereignty continues to be claimed by the Argentine Republic before the United Nations. In his address to the UN General Assembly in September 2025, President Javier Milei reiterated Argentina’s sovereignty claim and denounced the British military presence as a threat to regional stability. Despite repeated diplomatic protests, the United Kingdom maintains a policy of regular exercises and permanent troop rotation, reaffirming its military control over a territory that the international community recognizes as pending decolonization.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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