Falkland Islands warning as Javier Milei splurges on army with eight-year spending plan

Argentina is planning to beef up its army, a move raising concerns over the security of the Falkland Islands.

Buenos Aires has long claimed sovereignty over the islands, a British Overseas Territory, in the southwest Atlantic Ocean.

The islands are located just 300 miles off its coast and 8,000 miles from the UK.

In 1982, Argentina's military junta headed by General Galtieri attempted to forcefully take the islands, prompting a 74-day war with the UK.

The conflict claimed the lives of 255 British servicemen, three islanders and 649 Argentinian personnel.

Despite the defeat, Argentina has never given up its sovereignty claims, with President Javier Milei vowing Argentina will one day be able to annex the archipelago.

In a worrying development for the UK government, President Milei has now committed to raising defence spending from 0.5 percent of GDP to 2 percent over the next eight years.

He has promised to “restore the prestige” of the army and transform it into a hi-tech force, after years of neglect.

Up until recently, Argentina has spent less on defence as a share of GDP than any other country in South America, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

One reason for the increase in defence spending is believed to be Buenos Aires' desire to forge better relations with the White House.

In April, President Milei scrapped a deal to purchase Chinese-made fighter jets and instead agreed to buy 24 used F-16 jets from Denmark for $300million (£227m).

The purchase was partially funded by the US government, which contributed $40m (£30.3m) from its own funds.

Argentina has also asked to become a “global partner” of NATO, which would grant it better access to cooperation and training with Western armed forces.

The Argentinian President has stressed he does not seek another military confrontation with Britain and wants to regain control of the Falklands through peaceful negotiations.

He openly admitted in an interview with the BBC that this could take many years to accomplish.

He said: “We are not going to relinquish our sovereignty, nor are we going to seek conflict with the United Kingdom."

He added: “They might not want to negotiate today. At some later point they might want to. Many positions have changed over time.”