Why Ascension and the Falklands still matter logistically

Are islands such as Ascension still as important to naval logistics as they were historically?

Yes; they now provide airfields, fuel, ammunition, and transfer points rather than primarily serving as coaling stations.

Coal may no longer determine naval range, but ships and aircraft still need protected places for fuel, ammunition, repair support, and resupply. The Falkland Islands retain fuel and ammunition infrastructure that supports South Atlantic operations. Ascension can receive stores by air and transfer them onward to naval forces. These islands therefore remain critical logistics nodes even though their function has shifted from coaling stations to multimodal support bases.