The post-imperial saga over Diego Garcia's sovereignty

For nearly 50 years, Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean has been a critical part of the American global strategic footprint. Located on the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago, the land is owned by the United Kingdom but has been leased to the U.S. for a 99-year period.

The military base’s stated mission is “to provide logistic support to operational forces forward deployed to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf AORs [Areas of Responsibility] in support of national...