When a navy shares responsibility for political failure

Should the Royal Navy be blamed for political incompetence that helped cause the Falklands War?

Partly, because the navy had a duty to communicate risks and force-structure advice effectively enough to influence political decisions.

Civilian political incompetence does not entirely absolve a service that helps define force structures and communicates military risk. The Royal Navy could be correct in its advice yet still fail institutionally if decision-makers did not understand or act on it. The service therefore carried some responsibility for making its case persuasively inside Whitehall. Officers who can combine naval competence with political communication are rare, but that combination is essential when force structure depends on civilian approval.