'Absurd' to claim UK military ranks below Argentina's, says Defence Secretary To claim our military ranks below Argentina's is absurd and a gross slur on the calibre and capability of our troops. Argentina struggles to get its ageing Falklands-era fighter jets off the ground even on a good day, and if any did reach the islands they'd be no match for the RAF's top-of-the-range Typhoons. Britain's soldiers were much better equipped today than they were even 10 years ago, he added, arguing that the country remained a "front-rank military power." In their UKNDA commentary entitled The Defence Budget League Tables: False Comfort from Statistics, ACM Graydon and Vice-Admiral Blackham argued that what matters, however, is "not what you spend but what you get for the money." They wrote: "Experienced, skilful and battle-hardened we may be, but we are just too few - too few in personnel, ships, aircraft and weapons." Britain's "rudderless slide down the tables" puts our standing in the world at risk, the authors said.