Diego Garcia is probably not something that frequently comes up in conversation.
But we have an incredibly important military base there that we share with the British that deals with all kinds of threats to our national security, in particular from China. It's part of the Chagos Islands.
The Diego Garcia base, known colloquially as the “footprint of freedom,” is one of the few outside the United States that can reload nuclear submarines, port aircraft carriers, and base and launch strategic bombers, and is critical for Space Force operations.
Diego Garcia supports operations in some of the most strategically and economically important parts of the world—from the Middle East to Central Asia to the Pacific Ocean—all while being protected by the vast “moat” of the Indian Ocean. It is key to US power projection in the Indo-Pacific and to deterrence of China’s growing naval threat.
The Chagos Islands are currently controlled by the U.K. But they're about to give the territory back to Mauritius. President Donald Trump ripped into the idea. Trump said China and Russia had no doubt noticed this act of "weakness." He noted that it was "extremely important" and this was an act of "great stupidity" when it comes to our national security.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 20, 2026
The U.K deal would give the island to Mauritius, with a lease for the base.
But the big problem? Mauritius is under significant Chinese influence, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent notes here.
.@SecScottBessent: "@POTUS just believes that the U.S. needs Greenland because no-one will make a move on it then...we share a military facility on an island called Diego Garcia, and the U.K. is giving that island to Mauritius, and guess who is behind Mauritius? The Chinese!" https://t.co/mILUtwhjgo pic.twitter.com/llFbYiofOE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 20, 2026
Why would the U.K. do this, even with a lease, which doesn't guarantee much of anything if China decides to act against it after the U.K moves out?
Can we say how incredibly dumb and dangerous this is to our national security? Let's hear from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) as he explained the problem back in January of last year in his inimitable way. He explains how they want to "give it back" — not to the people of the Chagos Islands, but to another island, Mauritius. "This kind of stupid takes a plan," he declared.
DIEGO GARCIA: UK PM Keir Starmer did his level best to give away our military base, Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean. Watch John Kennedy rip the deal to shreds. pic.twitter.com/IDz523mQwE
— @amuse (@amuse) January 23, 2025
Kennedy said we would end up paying for the military base that we spent a lot of money to help build.
"Put down the bong!" Kennedy declared about the deal from the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
But what does it say when Starmer commits security suicide like this?
Conservatives in the U.K. were agreeing with Trump, and some of the folks on the Chagos Islands weren't happy about the deal either. You're not even giving the islands back to the people of the islands.
Britain's opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch weighed in to agree with Trump on the Chagos islands, saying the "terrible" deal weakened UK security.
"Paying to surrender the Chagos Islands is not just an act of stupidity, but of complete self sabotage," she posted, adding that "unfortunately on this issue President Trump is right".
Some Chagossians, many of whom ended up living in Britain after being removed from the archipelago, have also opposed the deal on the grounds that they were not consulted. A U.N. committee said in December the deal risks perpetuating long-standing violations of Chagossians' rights.
There are also "poison pills" in the treaty, as Cleo Paskal explained. She is a journalist and Non-Resident Senior Fellow for the Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
UK-MAURITIUS DEAL RAISES RED FLAGS@CleoPaskal warns the UK’s proposed Diego Garcia deal includes legal “poison pills” that could expose U.S. forces to treaty violations and jeopardize long-term access to a critical military base.@bannons_warroom pic.twitter.com/yCT1rcMyEP
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) January 20, 2026
The U.S. can still stop it, but they need to go all in.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member