ever, that both countries committed substantial military force to the conflict. Great Britain committed its only two aircraft carriers to battle, as well as a majority of its merchant fleet. It also committed the remains of its heavy bomber force to the conflict, although these aircraft saw little in the way of action. The Royal Army forces engaged in combat were limited to two Parachute Battalions, an infantry brigade (three battalions and supporting elements), and several hundred special forces troops; the balance of the British ground force consisted of three Royal Marine Battalions. Most of the Royal Army remained stationed in Northwest Europe, under the command of NATO. The Royal Air Force involvement was limited to the heavy bombers already mentioned and various transport units. The RAF also undertook some long range reconnaissance activities, but they were apparently supplanted by United States satellites and high altitude reconnaissance aircraft (Cordesman and Wagner, 1990, pp. 260-64). These last items were part of the support the British received from the United States, which will be discussed below as part of the British diplomatic resources.
Because neither country committed all or its resources, or even its military, to the war, most of the analysis of the Falklands War must focus on the preparedness of the military forces committed and on the intangible elements of power: quality of the respective governments, diplomacy, national morale, and national characters. Geography played a part to the extent that both countries had to deal with the problem of carrying out military operations long distances from their bases of supply. However, this is better discussed under the element of military preparedness, since the ability to project power was dependent upon the capabilities of the respective military forces.
Without a doubt, the most important element of national power in the Falklands War was military prepar...