Diego Garcia and the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)

Diego Garcia is a coral atoll and the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago, situated at the geographic centre of the Indian Ocean approximately 1,600 km from the nearest landmass. The UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965 when it purchased the Chagos Archipelago from the then-colony of Mauritius for £3 million. Between 1968 and 1973, the entire Chagossian indigenous population was forcibly displaced to make way for a joint US-UK military installation. The base has since supported US military operations from the Vietnam War through Afghanistan, Iraq, and more recent Middle East operations. In May 2025, the UK agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius while retaining full administrative and military control over Diego Garcia for at least 99 years. The base currently hosts approximately 2,500 personnel, primarily American, and is one of only two critical US bomber bases in the entire Indo-Pacific region alongside Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.