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Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, abbreviated NSF Diego Garcia, [1] is a British Ministry of Defence facility leased to the United States Navy, located on the atoll Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, for an initial period of 99 years after the forced removal and expulsion of over 2,000 native inhabitants of the island.
The United States military facilities on Diego Garcia have been known informally as Camp Justice [141] [142] [143] and, after renaming in July 2006, as Camp Thunder Cove. [144] Formally, the base is known as Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia (the US activity) or Permanent Joint Operating Base (PJOB) Diego Garcia (the UK's term). [145]
United States forces have used Diego Garcia since at least the mid-1960s, under lease from the United Kingdom. The island has port facilities and an airstrip capable of handling large aircraft. Currently, 1,700 military personnel, mostly United States forces, with around 50 British troops, and a further 1,500 civilian contractors reside there. [8]
Exclusive: Trump team see Chagos deal row as ‘day one issue’ for new administration as it is unclear whether nuclear weapons will still be allowed at the Diego Garcia base
As a result of American upgrades in the1970s, the base at Diego Garcia includes two 12,000-foot runways, designed to support long-range heavy bomber operations.
Under the deal, which has still to be signed, Diego Garcia would continue to operate as a UK-US military base but Mauritius would take responsibility for any future migrant arrivals.
While the naval and airbase facilities on Diego Garcia are leased to the United States as Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, in practice, the base operates as a joint UK-US base, with the United Kingdom retaining full and continual access. [2] Diego Garcia is strategically located, offering access to East Africa, the Middle East and Southeast ...
Diego Garcia's military base is home to the territory's only airport. At 3,000 metres (9,800 feet) long, the runway is capable of supporting heavy US Air Force bombers such as the B-52 , and would have been able to support the Space Shuttle in the event of a mission abort. [ 86 ]