Why Diego Garcia Is America's Most Controversial Military Base

The island of Diego Garcia grants the United States Military an excellent location for a military base but it is not without controversy. Learn about the history of this extremely isolated island and what it is being used for today.

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Animations courtesy of Vincent de Langen

[weldin]

My 8th grade math teacher was stationed here when he was in the navy. He talked about it all the time. It’s weird how much this island pops up in my life.

[cmdr]

I would say guantanamo bay is the most controversial military base. This is really interesting though.

[flashstar]

How to legally get to Diego Garcia:
Fly so many times over the Indian Ocean that by incredible odds, you have an emergency landing where you have to land at Diego Garcia.

[gbjr]

Not only emergency landing for aircraft, but also the NASA Space shuttle. I was stationed there back in 96-97. NASA came out to train us in case they ever needed to use the airstrip. Although isolated, I loved it there.

[StatmanRN]

"I am Diego Garcia. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

[DakaryZG]

Indian Ocean: 62% of world's oil
America: Allow me to introduce myself

[kotnkandy]

“Diego garcia” is the most stereotypical ex boyfriend name

[gavinstuart]

i was there last year with the royal navy as one our stops, truly amazing. wildlife, beaches with no tourists, very peaceful there and chilled out

[JosephGelis]

Spent a 3-day USN port-o-call there in the late 80s. Got my Shellback on the way down and certainly enjoyed my stay on this beautiful atoll. I have been to many beaches around the world, but Diego Garcia has the clearest and most pristine water of them all. I guess being so dang far from any other civilization makes a difference.

[NoKOzKamui]

UN: Hey! You have to leave!
US and UK: Why don't you make us.
UN: Alright, we'll vote you out.
US and UK: Oh that's nice, who's going to enforce it? The Police? We are the Police.

[musling]

Why did you reupload this? CIA at the door?

[iLupi]

Can we really call it the most controversial though? I feel like that statement could be said about a lot of US military bases overseas.

[luvslogistics]

I been. Fascinating lagoon, bright water from pink sparkling sand near shore and huge fish further out (there’s no fishing fleets) so it’s pristine. The coconut crabs are huge. Lots of cool things in a spot so tiny, in some places the road has a narrow strip of sandy beach on each side and a wave can wash over from one side to the next.

[jacquesbeatty]

I lived on Diego for 4 years ('07-'1)1. There is a commercial airline which transports people from the island but it's only quarterly and it's called the "Contract Flight" which is provided by Philippine Airlines (PAL). This flight is primarily for the Filipino workers who are either leaving or returning from their 90 day vacations taken every 2 years. US contractors are allowed to take the PAL flight for free and can choose to either disembark in Paya Lebar Singapore, or continue on to Manila, Philippines. The natives are escorted back to the island during certain times of the year to visit the land and the grave sites of loved ones. It's really conflicting having worked there and seen the natives returning. Prior to the UN vote, Britain tried to offer the natives any or all of the remaining islands of the archipelago EXCEPT "Diego Garcia", the one with infrastructure. Another interesting thing about the island is how it survived the tsunami despite being only 5-10tf above sea-level at its highest point. This place also boast some of the best deep ocean fishing in the world (I've been told) and the trips are provided by the MWR, which was very good on the island. I could go on for a while, lol but I'going to close here...

[lbbotpn]

You might want to check the definition of 'indigenous. People brought to work plantations in Diego Garcia are not indigenous to Diego Garcia.

[Fightre_Flighte]

"3 nautical mile radius"

>Proceeds to show a 30+ nautical mile radius...

[thepug]

The UN is like the hall monitor. Can’t do anything to stop bad stuff other than saying “stop that”

[Agonzo]

Spent two years on the island in the late 70's. Loved the place.

[bonusround]

is there a malaysian airline parked anywhere there? i’ve heard a few times there maybe one there somewhere .

[silverjohn]

For the most part a fairly balanced documentary. Some of the stock footage you're using though is inaccurate and, in one case, appears to have been deliberately chosen to be misleading about the circumstances you're trying to report. This could hurt your credibility if you're trying to advocate for the islanders.

At 5:12 you're using a Canadian ship (the Maple Leaf flag at the stern being a dead giveaway) instead of an American one. At 6:05, where you're illustrating the 3 nautical mile exclusion zone but using an animation that appears to be several hundred miles across as if the Americans were trying to claim a quarter of the Indian Ocean.

These can be put down to limited time and resources but, at 7:16, you showed stock footage of a violent protest with burning trucks and helmeted protesters throwing rocks and debris. As you didn't mention a protest of any kind in the text, let a alone a violent one of this scale, using this footage creates a provocative image. Remember, credibility is everything in legitimate documentary work. You don't have to be utterly unbiased and can certainly advocate to address social injustices but you have to do it with the facts and not propaganda.