Context:
Diego Garcia gained attention after Iran reportedly fired ballistic missiles toward the U.S.-U.K. military base located on the island in the Indian Ocean.
Key Highlights:
- Location & Geography
- A coral atoll in the central Indian Ocean
- Largest and southernmost island of the Chagos Archipelago
- Part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)
- Historical Background
- Discovered by the Portuguese (16th century)
- Earlier a dependency of Mauritius
- In 1965, separated to form BIOT
- In 1966, leased by UK to the USA for military use
- Indigenous population was forcibly displaced
- Strategic Importance
- Serves as a major US military base (air & naval)
- Acts as a logistics hub for Indo-Pacific operations
- Critical for power projection, surveillance, and rapid deployment
- Geopolitical Issues
- Mauritius claims sovereignty over Chagos Archipelago
- UNGA (2019) called for:
- End of British control
- Return of islands to Mauritius
- Raises issues of decolonisation and international law
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Chagos Archipelago: Group of islands in Indian Ocean
- BIOT: British overseas territory
- Diego Garcia is a coral atoll (ring-shaped reef island)
- Located strategically between Africa, Middle East, and Southeast Asia
Relevant Mains Points:
- Geopolitical Significance:
- Key node in Indo-Pacific security architecture
- Supports US military dominance in Indian Ocean Region (IOR)
- International Law & Ethics:
- Issue of forced displacement of inhabitants
- Debate on colonial legacy and sovereignty rights
- India’s Perspective:
- Importance of strategic stability in IOR
- Balancing relations with US, UK, and Mauritius
- Security Concerns:
- Increasing militarisation of Indian Ocean
- Vulnerability to missile threats and regional tensions
- Way Forward:
- Promote peaceful resolution of sovereignty disputes
- Strengthen multilateral maritime cooperation
- Ensure rule-based order in Indo-Pacific
UPSC Relevance:
- GS 2: International Relations (Indian Ocean geopolitics)
- GS 3: Security (strategic bases, maritime security)
- Prelims: Map-based location, BIOT, Chagos dispute