diego garcia air base

82 talking about this. The Chagossians & their Struggle. A fourth, Anniversary Island, 1 km (1,100 yards) southwest of Middle Island, appears as just a sand bar on satellite images. Both Catalina and Sunderland aircraft were flown during the course of World War II in search of Japanese and German submarines and surface raiders. In 1966, the UK leased the US the remote, 17-square-mile Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. This allows twin-engine commercial aircraft (such as the Airbus A330, Boeing 767 or Boeing 777) to make theoretical nonstop flights between city pairs such as Perth and Dubai (9,013.61 km or 5,600.80 mi), Hong Kong and Johannesburg (10,658 km or 6,623 mi) or Singapore and São Paulo (15,985.41 km or 9,932.87 mi), all while maintaining a suitable diversion airport within 180 minutes' flying time with one engine inoperable.[157]. Sign up for a daily selection of our best stories — based on your reading preferences. that the island was named after one of its first two discoverers—the one by the name of Garcia, the other with name Diego. There are approximately 40–50 British military personnel posted on Diego Garcia, most of them from Naval Party 1002 (NP1002). Because the porosity of the surface soil results in virtually zero runoff, lenses are easily polluted by fecal waste, burials, and chemical spills. UK represents the territory internationally. [85], The island consists of the largest continuous dryland rim of all atolls in the world. Scroll down to see what the remote installation is like. He said that the BIOT's former inhabitants would find it difficult, if not impossible, to pursue their claim for resettlement on the islands if the entire Chagos Archipelago were a marine reserve. Diurnal nesting is common in both species. There are also civilian contractors, mostly from nearby Mauritius, who cook and clean for the soldiers and sailors. In the plantation period, shallow wells, supplemented by rainwater collected in cisterns, provided sufficient water for the pastoral lifestyle of the small population. These small lagoons off of the main lagoon are filled with seawater at high tide and dry at low tide. [158] None of these facilities were ever used throughout the life of the shuttle program. Three are lighter aboard ships (LASH) which carry barges called lighters that contain Army ammunition to be ferried ashore: MV American Cormorant, SS Green Harbour, (LASH), SS Green Valley, (LASH), MV Jeb Stuart, (LASH). The official insisted that the establishment of a marine park—the world's largest—would in no way impinge on USG use of the BIOT, including Diego Garcia, for military purposes. Large nesting colonies of brown noddies (Anous stolidous), bridled terns (Sterna anaethetus), the lesser noddy (Anous tenuirostris), red-footed booby (Sula sula) and lesser frigate birds (Fregata ariel), exist on Diego Garcia. Subsequent studies and collections during the plantation era were made in 1885, 1905, 1939, and 1967. [29], In 1962, the Chagos Agalega Company of the British colony of Seychelles purchased the Société Huilière de Diego et Peros and moved company headquarters to Seychelles. Arabs, who reached Lakshadweep and Maldives around 900 CE, may have visited the Chagos. The shallow reef shelf surrounding the island on the ocean side offers no ocean-side anchorage. [87], In December 2004, a tsunami generated near Indonesia caused minor shoreline erosion on Barton Point (the northeast point of the atoll of Diego Garcia). Terrestrial reptiles and freshwater amphibians, United States Air Force units based on Diego Garcia, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Far East Detachment Diego Garcia, Naval Security Group Detachment Diego Garcia. [112], Of the 36 native vascular plants on Diego Garcia, 12 are trees, five are shrubs, seven are dicotyledon herbs, three are grasses, four are vines, and five are ferns.[113]. The islands were previously part of Mauritius, but Mauritius handed control of them to Britain for a cash fee two years before gaining independence. Other, smaller freshwater wetlands are found along the east side of the runway, and in the vicinity of the receiver antenna field on the northwest arm of the atoll. January is the wettest month with 353 mm (13.9 in) of mean monthly precipitation, and August the driest month, averaging 106.5 mm (4.19 in) of mean monthly precipitation.[98]. This detachment provides base telephone communications, base network services (Local Network Services Center), pier connectivity services, and an AN/GSC-39C SHF satellite terminal, operates the Hydroacoustic Data Acquisition System, and performs on-site maintenance for the remotely operated Air Force HF-GCS terminal. [35], The primary industry throughout the island's colonial period consisted of coconut plantations producing copra and/or coconut oil,[25] until closure of the plantations and relocation of the inhabitants in October 1971. But a recent ruling from the UN's highest court said Diego Garcia and the islands around it were illegally taken by Britain and should be returned. Diego Garcia: Rules for the powerful; bombs for the weak By Gregory Clark | On 17 February 2021 In concert, the US and the UK in the 1960s seized the island of Diego Garcia, expelled its inhabitants and converted it into a massive airbase for the bombing of Middle Eastern and African targets. [21] The supplies of the 275 settlers were overwhelmed by 250 survivors of the wreck of the British East Indian Ship Atlas in May, and the colony failed in October. since, “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention”. These included contract employees from the Philippines and Mauritius, including some Ilois. [33] No monetary payment was made from the United States to the UK as part of this agreement or any subsequent amendment. [132], During the Cold War era, following the British withdrawal from East of Suez, the United States was keen to establish a military base in the Indian Ocean to counter Soviet influence and establish American dominance in the region and protect its sea-lanes for oil transportation from the Middle East. By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The key component in obtaining Diego Garcia was the perceived lack of a native population on the island. To Barber, Diego Garcia and other acquired islands would play a key role in maintaining US dominance. F. R. Fosberg & A. Get it now on Libro.fm using the button below. During August 2010 it was composed of the following: Five of these vessels carry supplies for the US Marine Corps sufficient to support a Marine Air-Ground Task Force for 30 days: USNS Button, USNS Kocak, USNS Lopez, USNS Stockham, and USNS Fisher. Rather, the United Kingdom received a US$14-million discount from the United States on the acquisition of submarine-launched Polaris missiles per a now-declassified addendum to the 1966 agreement.[34]. [28] Following the conclusion of hostilities, the station was closed on 30 April 1946. In March 1971, United States Naval construction battalions arrived on Diego Garcia to begin the construction of the communications station and an airfield. The channel and anchorage areas in the northern half of the lagoon are dredged, along with the pre-1971 ship turning basin. [42], On 1 April 2010, the Chagos Marine Protected Area (MPA) was declared to cover the waters around the Chagos Archipelago. In: Stephen W. Surface and Edward F.C. A local government as normally envisioned does not exist. [89], Diego Garcia is the above-water rim of a coral atoll composed of Holocene coral rubble and sand to the depth of about 36 m (118 ft), overlaying Pleistocene limestone deposited at the then-sea level on top of a seamount rising about 1,800 m (5,900 ft) from the floor of the Indian Ocean. Both Middle Island and Anniversary Island are part of the Spur Reef complex. "[55] The inhabitants today do not rely on the island and the surrounding waters for sustenance. Currently, three lizards and one toad are known to inhabit Diego Garcia, and possibly one snake. UK MOD website on Permanent Joint Operating Base Diego Garcia. The eventual number of Chagossians numbered around 1,000. His research added fully a third more species to Stoddart. The horizontal structure of each lens is influenced by variations in the type and porosity of the subsurface deposits, which on Diego Garcia are minor. Though technically operated by the US Navy, the base is shared with the […] At depth, the lens is globular; near the surface, it generally conforms to the shape of the island. Account active Before that, the site had proved its strategic importance for US military operations in the Middle East as a base for Air Force attacks in 1991 during the first Gulf War. Three small islands are located in the pass. The ancestors of the Ilois had been transported to the islands as slaves to work coconut plantations in the 18th century. In February 1942, the mission was to protect the small Royal Navy base and Royal Air Force station located on the island from Japanese attack. These ships carry equipment and supplies to support a major armed force with tanks, armoured personnel carriers, munitions, fuel, spare parts and even a mobile field hospital. Instead it occupies what used to be part of the British Empire — and its former owners want it back. [116], In 2004, 10 plant communities were recognized on the atoll rim:[85], All the terrestrial and aquatic fauna of Diego Garcia are protected, with the exception of certain game fish, rats, and cats; hefty fines are levied against violators. ... Camp Justice Naval Base in Diego Garcia. [98], Thunderstorm activity is generally noticed during the afternoon and evenings during the summer months (December through March) and when the Intertropical Convergence Zone is in the vicinity of the island. The UN court ruled that it was illegal for the British to demand possession of the islands as a condition of independence. In 1971, the BIOT Commissioner ordered the extermination of feral dogs following the departure of the last plantation workers, and the program continued through 1975, when the last feral dog was observed and shot. Diurnal variation is roughly 3–4 °C (5.4–7.2 °F), falling to the low 27 °C (81 °F) by night. The 12 tree species are: Barringtonia asiatica (fish-poison tree), Calophyllum inophyllum (Alexandrian laurel), Cocos nucifera, Cordia subcordata, Guettarda speciosa, Intsia bijuga, Hernandia sonora, Morinda citrifolia, Neisosperma oppositifolium,[114] Pisonia grandis, Terminalia catappa, and Heliotropium foertherianum. [21] Several Frenchmen living in "a dozen huts" abandoned Diego Garcia when the British East India Company attempted to establish a settlement there in April 1786. The island was protected to a large degree by its favourable ocean topography. [91], A few natural depressions on the atoll rim capture the abundant rainfall to form areas of freshwater wetlands. On the remote tropical island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean lies a secretive, strategically vital US military base. 42, n. 3, International Migration, 2004. The Ilois have fought for the right to return to their homeland, with the British High Court in 2006 ruling that their expulsion was illegal. The island was one of 33 designated emergency landing sites worldwide for the NASA Space Shuttle. [154][155], Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Far East Detachment Diego Garcia operates a detachment in Diego Garcia. Nothing is known of pre-European contact history of Diego Garcia. The uninhabited islands are asserted to have been discovered by the Portuguese navigator, explorer, and diplomat Pedro Mascarenhas in 1512, first named as Dom Garcia, in honour of his patron, Dom Garcia de Noronha[17][18] when he was detached from the Portuguese India Armadas[19] during his voyage of 1512–1513. According to Stuart Barber—a civilian working for the US Navy at the Pentagon—Diego Garcia was located far away from any potential threats, it was low in a native population and it was an island that was not sought after by other countries as it lacked economic interest. At Cannon Point,[27] two 6-inch naval guns were installed by a Royal Marines detachment. [115] The remainder of the species list consists of cultivated food or ornamental species, grown in restricted environments such as a planter's pot. Service personnel on the western arm of the island reported only a minor increase in wave activity. Exercise Cope North 2021 is an annual U.S. Pacific Air Forces joint/combined, trilateral field training exercise occurring Feb. 3-19, 2021. [49], Fifteen years after the last expulsion, the Chagossians received compensation from the British, totalling $6,000 per person; some Chagossians received nothing. [110] None of these was endemic, and another survey in 2005 identified just 36 species as "native", meaning arriving without the assistance of humans, and found elsewhere in the world. Diego Garcia, US Military Bases in Diego Garcia. [72] Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is one of the "high-value detainees" suspected to have been held in Diego Garcia. Numerous air operations were launched from Diego Garcia during the Persian Gulf War (1990–91), U.S.-led strikes on Afghanistan (2001), and the initial phase (2003) of the Iraq War. The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union and Their Potential Role for the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). [47] No current agreement exists on how many of the evacuees met the criteria to be an Ilois, and thus be an indigenous person at the time of their removal, but the UK and Mauritian governments agreed in 1972 that 426 families,[48] numbering 1,151 individuals,[40] were due compensation payments as exiled Ilois. [94], Extracting fresh water from a lens for human consumption requires careful calculation of the sustainable yield of the lens by season because each lens is susceptible to corruption by saltwater intrusion caused by overuse or drought. (EN) Vytautas B. Bandjunis, Diego Garcia: Creation of the Indian Ocean Base, Lincoln (NE), iUniverse, 2001. HMG would like to establish a "marine park" or "reserve" providing comprehensive environmental protection to the reefs and waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) official informed Polcouns on 12 May. "[159] On the return trip to Singapore, it carried recyclable metals.[160]. "There are also massive pre-positioned ships in the lagoon, each about the size of the Empire State Building, filled with enough weapons and supplies for material tanks, helicopters for an entire brigade of Marines," David Vine, who has written a book on the Chagos islands, told CNN. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of 60 small islands comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The surface currents of the Indian Ocean also have a monsoonal regimen associated with the Asian Monsoonal wind regimen. [30] However, the plantations, both under their previous private ownership and under government administration, proved consistently unprofitable due to the introduction of new oils and lubricants in the international marketplace, and the establishment of vast coconut plantations in the East Indies and the Philippines. The almost constant breeze keeps conditions reasonably comfortable. Bibliografia. Those who left the island—either for vacation or medical purposes—were not allowed to return, and those who stayed could obtain only restricted food and medical supplies. [96], Also, several man-made freshwater ponds resulted from excavations made during construction of the airfield and road on the western half of the atoll rim. Prior to setting up a military base, the United States government was informed by the British government—which owned the island—that Diego Garcia had a population of hundreds. Another three tree species are common, and may be native, but they may also have been introduced by humans: Casuarina equisetifolia, Hibiscus tiliaceus, and Pipturus argenteus. [81], No species of plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, molluscs, crustaceans, or mammals is endemic on Diego Garcia or in the surrounding waters. [24] On Diego Garcia, the main plantations were located at East Point, the main settlement on the eastern rim of the atoll; Minni Minni, 4.5 km (2.8 mi) north of East Point, and Pointe Marianne, on the western rim, all located on the lagoon side of the atoll rim. Garcia de Moguer died the same year on the return trip to Portugal in the Indian Ocean, off the South African coast. Significant saltwater wetlands called barachois exist in the southern half of the lagoon. The Ilois, now called Chagos Islanders or Chagossians since the late-1990s, were descended primarily from slaves brought to the island from Madagascar by the French between 1793 and 1810, and Malay slaves from the slave market on Pulo Nyas, an island off the northwest coast of Sumatra, from around 1820 until the slave trade ended following the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. The surrounding sea surface temperature is the primary climatic control, and temperatures are generally uniform throughout the year, with an average maximum of 30 °C (86 °F) by day during March and April, and 29 °C (84 °F) from July to September. Flying and notable non-flying units based at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of 60 small islands comprising the Chagos Archipelago.It was first discovered by Europeans and named by the Portuguese, settled by the French in the 1790s and transferred to …

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