Carrier and amphibious choices in 1980

Force availability in May 1980 limits assumptions drawn from the later Cold War. HMS Hermes, the newly commissioning Invincible, damaged Bulwark, and older ships could not be treated as a fully worked-up version of the 1982 Falklands force. Sea Harrier FRS.1 squadrons also lacked the additional training and experience they would gain before the Falklands War. American carrier strength was substantial but globally committed, while French participation was a political choice. The carrier and amphibious response was therefore plausible but contingent.