Falkland Islands Defence Force 3730559 222944860 2008-07-01T21:20:40Z 86.22.19.77 {{Infobox Military Unit |unit_name=Falkland Islands Defence Force |image=[[Image:Fk-fidf.gif]] |caption=Cap Badge of the Falkland Islands Defence Force |dates=[[1892]] - Present |country=[[Falkland Islands]] |allegiance= |branch= |type=[[Line Infantry]] |role=[[Light Infantry|Light Role]] |size=[[Company (military unit)|One Company]] |command_structure= |garrison=[[Port Stanley]] |garrison_label= |equipment= |equipment_label= |nickname= |patron= |motto= |colors= |colors_label= |march= |mascot= |battles= |anniversaries= |decorations= |battle_honours= <!-- Commanders --> |current_commander= |current_commander_label=Commanding Officer |ceremonial_chief= |ceremonial_chief_label=[[Colonel-in-Chief]] |colonel_of_the_regiment= |colonel_of_the_regiment_label=Honorary Colonel |notable_commanders= <!-- Insignia --> |identification_symbol= |identification_symbol_label= |identification_symbol_2= |identification_symbol_2_label= }} The '''Falkland Islands Defence Force''' ('''FIDF''') is the locally maintained volunteer defence unit in the [[Falkland Islands]]. The FIDF works alongside the military units supplied by the [[United Kingdom]] to ensure the security of the islands from any outside aggression. ==History== The first volunteer unit in the Islands was formed in [[1854]] during the [[Crimean War]] to guard against possible [[Russian Empire|Russian]] aggression. Not given an official title, this unit was sometimes known as the '''Stanley Volunteers'''. However, the modern unit traces its direct lineage back to [[1892]]. The previous year, a steamer owned by one of the groups involved in the [[Chilean Civil War]] docked at [[Port Stanley|Stanley]]. Although ostensibly there to carry out repairs to its engines, the presence onboard of 200 armed soldiers was considered a security threat. So, the [[Governor of the Falkland Islands|Governor]], [[Roger Goldsworthy|Sir Roger Goldsworthy]], ordered that an armed volunteer force be formed. The first draft of men of the new '''Falkland Islands Volunteers''' were sworn in at a ceremony at Government House in June 1892. During the [[First World War]], members of the Volunteers were mobilised to man military outposts around the Islands, while 36 [[Falklanders]] enlisted in the armed forces. At the end of the war, the Falkland Islands Volunteers was renamed as the Falkland Islands Defence Force. The FIDF was mobilised again during the [[Second World War]], manning defensive outposts around the Islands. At this time, a mounted rifles unit was raised. After the end of the war, the presence of [[Royal Marines]] as part of the Islands' defence led to the FIDF adopting RM dress and drill styles. During this period, one of the first significant [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacking]] incidents occurred, when an Argentine extremist group staged a symbolic invasion of the Islands by landing a [[Douglas DC-4|DC-4]] on Stanley Racecourse. The FIDF, alongside the Royal Marines, employed tactics that led to the group surrendering without incident. Following this, the FIDF was on heightened alert until February [[1967]]. ===[[Falklands War]]=== On [[April 1]] [[1982]], alongside the Royal Marines party, the FIDF was mobilised to defend the Islands from the [[1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands|Argentine invasion]]. The following day, [[Rex Masterman Hunt|Sir Rex Hunt]] ordered them to surrender. The Argentines confiscated all of the FIDF's equipment and declared them to be an illegal organisation. For the duration of the [[Falklands War|war]], some members of the FIDF were kept under [[house arrest]] at [[Fox Bay]] until the Argentine Surrender. The FIDF was reformed in [[1983]]. [[Terry Peck]], a former member of the Defence Force, spied on Argentine forces in Port Stanley, then escaped to become a scout for the 3rd Battalion, [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]], with which he fought at the [[Battle of Mount Longdon]]. ==Funding== The Falkland Islands Defence Force today is funded entirely by the [[Politics of the Falkland Islands|Falklands government]]. The FIDF is organised as a [[light infantry|light role infantry]] company, capable of deploying Land Rovers, [[quad bike]]s and rigid inflatable boats. The Force is manned entirely by the local population, following British Army doctrine in training and operations. In an agreement with the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|MOD]], a Royal Marines WO2 is seconded to the Force as a [[Permanent Staff Instructor]]. The FIDF operates sniper/recce, machine gun, close combat, amphibious and logistic support units, co-ordinated by a central command. The Force also operates in the fisheries protection role, giving the Government's Fisheries Department the capability of mounting its own armed defence against illegal fishing in Falkland waters. It is also the mountain rescue agency for the Islands. ==Equipment used== *[[Steyr AUG]] *[[Quad bike]]s *[[Inflatable boat]]s *[[Land Rover]]s ==Alliances== *{{UK}} - [[Yorkshire Regiment|The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)]] *{{UK}} - [[Royal Marines]] ==See also== *[[Military of the Falkland Islands]] *[[Bermuda Regiment]] *[[Royal Gibraltar Regiment]] *[[Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers)|Royal Hong Kong Regiment]] (defunct) ==External links== *{{cite web |author=Falkland Islands Information Portal |title=Falkland Islands Defence Force: 150 years of Voluntary Service |url=http://www.falklands.info/history/histarticle24.html |accessdate=June 19 |accessyear=2006}} *{{cite web |author=BBC News |title=Audio slideshow: Island defenders |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/6661481.stm |accessdate=June 11 |accessyear=2007}} {{Template group |list = {{Falkland Islands topics}} {{Falklands War}} }} [[Category:British colonial regiments]] [[Category:Military of the Falkland Islands]]