US retains right to ‘militarily’ secure Chagos airbase in Indian Ocean, says Trump

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Feb 5 said he retained the right to “militarily secure”  the

joint Diego Garcia airbase

if future arrangements threatened US access, following “productive” talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Mr Trump in January criticised Britain’s 2025 deal to

cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago

– including an island with the joint US-UK Diego Garcia base – as an act of “total weakness” and “great stupidity.”

But in a post on Truth Social on Feb 5, Mr Trump said he understood the deal Mr Starmer made was “the best he could make.”

Mr Starmer’s 2025 deal transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while keeping Diego Garcia under British control through a 99-year lease that preserved US operations at the base.

“However, if the lease deal, some time in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers US operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia,” Mr Trump said.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Mr Starmer and Mr Trump “agreed on the importance of the deal to secure the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which remains vital to shared security interests.”

She added Britain and the US would continue to work closely on the implementation of the deal.

The British government previously said it had acted for national security reasons after international court decisions threatened its ability to maintain the base under previous arrangements.

The archipelago, home to around 4,000 personnel, has been used for long-range US operations, including in Yemen and Afghanistan.

The deal includes £3 billion (S$5.2 billion) to be paid by Britain to Mauritius over the term of the agreement, with an option for a 50-year extension and Britain maintaining the right of first refusal thereafter.

The deal has faced strong opposition from Britain’s Conservative Party, which argues that it weakens the country’s strategic position and risks undermining long-term security arrangements with the United States.

Mauritius has said its sovereignty over the islands had been unequivocally recognised in international law and the deal “should no longer be subject to debate” and should be implemented quickly. REUTERS