Ascension Island is currently a refuelling point for military flights transiting between the Falkland Islands and the largest Royal Air Force Station, RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. In the 1982 Falklands War, Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island played an important role in supporting the British Task Force and acting as a staging post halfway between Britain and the Falklands. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to manage Wideawake Airfield in support of the work of the Commander of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands, whose headquarters are at Mount Pleasant in the Falklands. |