Back on November 17, 2019, the X user, Huntsman @maphumanintent, aka Ross Kennedy, posted a brilliant, prescient and detailed thread about Diego Garcia, a strategically vital island in the Indian Ocean. The post, titled “The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier,” delves into the island’s importance to U.S. military operations, China’s ambitions to control the region, and the ongoing sovereignty dispute involving the Chagos Archipelago. This article reworks that thread into a cohesive narrative, exploring the geopolitical stakes surrounding Diego Garcia, its unique logistical advantages, and the complex interplay of international law, historical grievances, and modern power dynamics.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫
— HUNTSMAN 🇺🇲 (@maphumanintent) November 17, 2019
The US military, for all of its might, still faces physical limits of distance and time.
Control of key landmasses enables logistical operations at scale.
The US has one of the most important. China wants it.
Thread. pic.twitter.com/qdDCSi6NkD
Diego Garcia: A Strategic Linchpin
Located over 1,700 kilometers from the nearest mainland (India), Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago, a British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Discovered by the French in 1790 and later controlled by the British, the island has been a cornerstone of NATO operations in the Indo-Pacific since its development as a military base in the 1980s. The U.S. leases the island from the UK under a 1966 agreement, which was extended in 2016 and is set to run until 2036. Nicknamed “Dodge” by American personnel and the “Footprint of Freedom” by the U.S. Navy due to its shape, Diego Garcia hosts a joint U.S.-UK military base critical for operations across the region.
The island’s infrastructure is formidable: it boasts runways capable of handling massive aircraft like the B-52 Stratofortress bomber, robust naval resupply facilities, and one of only three U.S. Air Force GEODSS optical space surveillance systems. Its geographic advantages are equally significant. Diego Garcia is at low risk for typhoons, a rarity in the region, and possesses a unique hydrological feature: large freshwater lenses that float atop saltwater. This natural freshwater supply—massive in scale—eliminates the need for extensive water purification or constant maritime resupply, a logistical boon for a remote military base. For context, a single 20-foot ocean container can carry only about 24,000 liters of water, while a base population can consume 100 liters per person per day. Diego Garcia’s self-sustaining water resources free up space, electricity, and real estate for other critical operations.
The Geopolitical Context: China’s Ambitions and the String of Pearls
Diego Garcia’s strategic location places it squarely in the middle of China’s territorial ambitions in the Indian Ocean. China has been pursuing its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2013, a trillion-dollar infrastructure project aimed at securing logistics assets from China to Europe. A key component of this strategy is the “String of Pearls,” a network of dual-use ports (commercial and military) along the Indian Ocean rim, stretching from the South China Sea to the Mediterranean. Diego Garcia, marked as an orange dot on this chain, disrupts China’s plans by enabling the U.S. Navy to project power across the region.
China’s tactics in the South China Sea, where it has built artificial islands to extend its defensive perimeter and menace U.S. assets like Guam with ballistic missiles (as detailed in @maphumanintent’s Thread 2), cannot be replicated here. Diego Garcia is too far from China—over 3,500 kilometers from the nearest Chinese-controlled territory in the South China Sea—for similar military pressure. Moreover, the U.S. holds an exclusive lease on the entire island, leaving no room for China to gain a foothold under the guise of commercial partnerships, a tactic it used to secure its first foreign naval base in Djibouti in 2017.
The Sovereignty Dispute: A Historical Injustice
The history of Diego Garcia is marred by a significant human rights issue: the forced expulsion of the Chagossian people. Between 1968 and 1973, the UK forcibly removed over 1,000 Chagossians from the archipelago to make way for the U.S. military base. The Chagossians, descendants of enslaved people brought to the islands by the French in the 18th century, were deported to Mauritius and the Seychelles, often with little notice or compensation. This act, later described by Human Rights Watch in 2020 as a “crime against humanity,” has fueled decades of legal battles.
In 1965, the UK purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, then a British colony, and in 1966, it leased Diego Garcia to the U.S. for military use. The Chagossians commenced legal action against the British and Mauritian governments in 1973, seeking the right to return. In 2000, the British High Court ruled in their favor, but this decision was overturned in 2004. The legal struggle continued, culminating in a significant development in 2019.
In February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion declaring the UK’s administration of the Chagos Archipelago unlawful, asserting that the islands rightfully belonged to Mauritius. In May 2019, the UN General Assembly affirmed this ruling with a 116-6 vote, demanding the UK withdraw within six months—a deadline the UK ignored, citing the non-binding nature of the resolution.
China’s Strategic Maneuvering
China has adeptly positioned itself to benefit from the Chagos sovereignty dispute. On March 1, 2018, China formally supported Mauritius’ claim at the UN and ICJ, a move that aligns with its broader strategy of exploiting gaps in international frameworks. The X thread highlights China’s pragmatic approach: it cannot take Diego Garcia by force or economic leverage, so it uses proxies and diplomatic pressure to advance its interests. China’s support for Mauritius is not altruistic; it sees an opportunity to weaken U.S. and UK influence in the Indian Ocean.
China’s engagement with Mauritius has deepened through the BRI. On July 27, 2018, the state-controlled Xinhua News Agency reported the completion of the Bagatelle Dam in Mauritius, a $34 million project funded by China. This marked a shift in Mauritius’ alliances, as it moved away from its former sponsor, the UK, and aligned more closely with China. On October 18, 2019, China signed its first-ever Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with an African nation—Mauritius. The agreement, which includes plans for a Free Trade Zone where Chinese companies will establish factories and build logistics infrastructure, underscores China’s growing influence. Mauritius, with a GDP of just $14.3 billion (compared to Rhode Island’s $57 billion), is an unlikely candidate for such a deal, suggesting that its primary appeal to China lies in its claim to Diego Garcia.
The West’s Vulnerability: Guilt and Narrative
China’s strategy also exploits what Huntsman describes as a Western weakness: guilt over historical colonial abuses. The forced expulsion of the Chagossians is a well-documented injustice, and China has leveraged this narrative to pressure the UK and U.S. Western leaders, often driven by this guilt, are portrayed as vulnerable to such tactics. China, by contrast, operates on a longer timeline, focusing on assets and pragmatic outcomes rather than emotional appeals. The thread cites China’s past actions—like banning a genetically modified corn trait in 2013 to weaken the U.S. agricultural firm Syngenta and secure its purchase by a Chinese company (Thread 3)—as evidence of its calculated approach.
The UK’s response to the 2019 ICJ ruling has been defiant. Alongside the U.S., Australia, Hungary, Israel, and the Maldives, the UK was among the six nations to dissent in the UN General Assembly vote. The UK has stated it will disregard the ICJ ruling and continue joint military operations on Diego Garcia. However, China’s growing influence in Mauritius threatens to shift the balance. If Mauritius gains control of the Chagos Archipelago, China’s economic and diplomatic ties could position it to establish a presence near Diego Garcia, potentially through “civilian” infrastructure projects that serve dual military purposes—a hallmark of BRI initiatives.
Conclusion: A High-Stakes Game
Diego Garcia remains a critical asset for the U.S. and UK, an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” that enables power projection across the Indo-Pacific. Its natural advantages, robust infrastructure, and strategic location make it irreplaceable. However, China’s calculated support for Mauritius, combined with its BRI investments and diplomatic maneuvering, poses a significant challenge. The sovereignty dispute over the Chagos Archipelago is not just a legal battle; it is a microcosm of the broader geopolitical struggle between the U.S. and China for control of the Indian Ocean.
The Chagossians, caught in the middle, continue to fight for their right to return, a cause that has gained international support but remains unresolved. As of May 31, 2025, the situation has evolved further: the UK has agreed to cede sovereignty to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease for the Diego Garcia base, a deal that China has publicly supported, raising concerns about future Chinese influence in the region. The battle for Diego Garcia underscores a fundamental truth of modern geopolitics: control of terrain and resources remains the ultimate prize, and nations like China are playing a long game to secure it.