By David W. Wise, February 03, 2025

The military base at Diego Garcia, the so-called ”Footprint of Freedom,” is  a seventeen-square mile atoll of the Chagos Island chain in the Indian Ocean. It is one of the most important and secretive overseas installations operated by the United States. The fact that the legal status of that island may now be in transition from the United Kingdom to Mauritius is a matter of deep concern.

In the words of Robert Kaplan,” The Indian Ocean will be “Center Stage for the Twenty-First Century.” “Like a microcosm of the world at large, the greater Indian Ocean region is developing into an area of both ferociously guarded sovereignty (with fast-growing economies and militaries) and astonishing interdependence (with its pipelines and land and sea routes).”

Due to its location in the very center of the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia functions as a critical logistics hub for both the United States as well as the United Kingdom which currently holds the island as an overseas territory. Its central location  allows for rapid deployment of military forces  to project power outward across the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia, as well as providing a key refueling and supply station for naval and air operations. Bombers flown from Diego Garcia participated in the Gulf War, the invasion of Iraq and the war in Afghanistan.

Diego Garcia's proximity to vital international shipping lanes enhances  its role in ensuring regional stability, and maritime security in key chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and the  Malacca Strait. “Already the world's preeminent energy and trade interstate seaway, the Indian Ocean will matter even more in the future.” 40% of maritime petroleum and distillates pass through these waters.

Read the remainder HERE at RealClearDefense.com.