CIA The World Factbook
British Indian Ocean Territory
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Formerly administered as part of the British Crown Colony of Mauritius, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was established as an overseas territory of the UK in 1965.
A number of the islands of the territory were later transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976.
Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited.
Between 1967 and 1973, former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius, but also to the Seychelles.
Negotiations between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund by the British Government as compensation for the displaced islanders, known as Chagossians.
Beginning in 1998, the islanders pursued a series of lawsuits against the British Government seeking further compensation and the right to return to the territory.
In 2006 and 2007, British court rulings invalidated the immigration policies contained in the 2004 BIOT Constitution Order that had excluded the islanders from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
In 2008, the House of Lords, as the final court of appeal in the UK, ruled in favor of the British Government by overturning the lower court rulings and finding no right of return for the Chagossians.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/io.html
Welcome to Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia
"One Island, One Team, One Mission"
Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia provides logistic support to operational forces forward deployed to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas of responsibility in support of national policy objectives.
Diego Garcia, an atoll of the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory, is located 7 degrees south of the equator.
Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia History
The Island of Diego Garcia is the largest of the Chagos Islands located on a large shoal area known as the Great Chagos Bank. This expanse of islands and sand cays covers some 22,000 square miles of the Indian Ocean.
Historians believe that the islands were discovered by Portuguese navigators during the 16th Century and remained uninhabited until the 18th Century.
Under the Treaty of Paris of 1814, many of the islands in the Indian Ocean under the control of the French were ceded to Britain, including the Mauritius and the Chagos Islands. In 1965, these islands became the British Indian Ocean Territory (B.I.O.T.).
During the 19th Century the islands were used as plantations, producing copra and coconut oils. Plantations on Diego Garcia were closed in 1971, following a decision to establish the U.S. Navy Support Facility based on the 1966 Exchange of Notes between Great Britain and the United States.
Today, under the command of a Royal Navy Commander, Great Britain maintains a presence on the Island, with the Headquarters, British Forces, BIOT, and the Royal Overseas Police.
In January 1971, U.S. Navy Seabees were transported to the island by landing ship to begin building the U.S. military presence on Diego Garcia. Today Diego Garcia is home to 16 separate commands, including the U.S. Navy Support Facility, which functions as the host command.
The mission of the U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia is "To provide logistic support to operational forces forward deployed to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf AORs in support of national policy objectives."
NAVSUPPFAC Diego Garcia occupies a critical part on the "tip of the spear" for U.S. military forces by supporting a multitude of unique and challenging mission requirements. Our motto and mission focus is "ONE ISLAND, ONE TEAM, ONE MISSION."
http://www.cnic.navy.mil/diegogarcia/index.htm