The World - News from March 8, 1988

Britain began a 25-day military exercise in the South Atlantic, code-named Fire Focus, to test its ability to protect the Falkland Islands from invasion, the Defense Ministry said. Argentina, which claims the islands, said its forces will be on “defensive alert” during the maneuvers. The exercise, scheduled to end March 31, is the largest since Britain defeated Argentina in the Falklands War in April, 1982. London says the exercise is purely defensive and that one of its functions will be to test a new, $690-million airport built since the war. A Defense Ministry spokesman said that an infantry battalion of 600 to 1,000 soldiers based in Britain will fly to the archipelago March 17-18.