Diego Garcia
Photos

Yoichi Shimatsu
3-31-14

Camp Justice Diego Garcia

Location: -7.311, 72.411 Phone: N/A DSN: N/A
Modified: February 21, 2012

Camp Justice is located in Diego Garcia, which is also commonly referred as. It is a coral atoll located close to the equator, about 2200 km south of India. The territory is owned by the United Kingdom, although it is mostly inhabited by Americans. The base operated here is huge and implies air and submarine support, as well as a communicational center. It is also used for pit stops by various ships. The little island hosts about 1700 military troops and more than 1500 local contractors. From all the military troops, only 50 of them are British. Run by the United States of America, the base is operated by both the Navy and the Air Force. Although the area run by the Navy is larger, the Air Force exclusively deals with the airspace.

History

The place was discovered centuries ago by the Portuguese explorers. With all these, the island went through the jurisdiction of more world powers until it got in the possession of the United Kingdom. The American history beings in the ’70s, when the first troops arrived on site and began the construction in 1971 after a clear agreement with the United Kingdom. They started building an airfield and a communicational station. One of the agreement terms was for an uninhabited island, therefore the United Kingdom deployed all the natives and farmers. They were relocated to two different atolls in the area. Some others moved to Mauritius.

The whole construction was finished two years later, in 1973. The Americans could then brag with their new NAVCOMMSTA (Naval Communications Center). Over the years, a multitude of events forced the Americans to renegotiate the contract and apply for a larger base, as well as a fleet station. Some of these events include the Saigon fall, the Cambodian revolution or the closure of two posts in Ethiopia and Pakistan. What was even more threatening for the United States of America was the buildup of two Russian bases in the area. As a result, the Seabees ­ the host unit ­ doubled its members as the base was expanded.

The ’90s saw a new round of improvements. After the hostage crisis from Iran during the ’70s and the oil flow through the Persian Gulf, the US government invested $400M more in the base upgrades. Two unusually long 3.7 km runways were built, as well as a storage site for very heavy bombers, more anchorages in the area, hangars, air terminals, various facilities in the port and a huge storage area for fuel.

In order to protect Camp Justice and its surrounding areas from the industry, the United Kingdom got the Ramsar Site status for this place in 2004. This means the recreational, cultural and economic roles were recognized in order to maintain the natural life in the area. In 2010, the UK government also made Camp Justice a MPA (Marine Protected Area), which means the island and the surroundings may not be used for any industrial uses, whether they refer to oil exploration or fishing activities.