British Forces British Indian Ocean Territories
British Forces British Indian Ocean Territories (BFBIOT) is the name for the British Armed Forces Permanent Joint Operating Base (PJOB) on Diego Garcia, in the British Indian Ocean Territory.[1] While the naval and airbase facilities on Diego Garcia are leased to the United States as Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, in practice, the base operates as a joint UK-US base, with the United Kingdom retaining full and continual access.[2]
Diego Garcia is strategically located, offering access to East Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The base serves as a staging area for the buildup or resupply of military forces prior to an operation.
Naval Party 1002 (NP 1002) is directly present in the territory and is composed of both Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel. NP 1002 is responsible for civil administration and enforcement. Its members are tasked with policing and carrying out customs duties. Royal Marines in the territory also reportedly form a security detachment.[3]
Prior to 2017, the BIOT Patrol Vessel the MV Pacific Marlin was based in
In 2016 a new contract was signed with Scottish-based North Star Shipping[6] for the use of the vessel MV Grampian Frontier. She is a 70-meter vessel carrying up to 24 personnel and fulfills both the patrol and research role.[5] The vessel reportedly operates in conjunction with personnel from NP 1002 on both fisheries and military enforcement tasks/exercises and also carries scientists/researchers involved in a range of research work, particularly conservation.[7] In 2022, Grampian Frontier tracked a Mauritian-charted vessel temporarily bringing Chagossian exiles to Blenheim reef in the archipelego.[8][9]
The
See also
References
- ^ Permanent Joint Operating Bases (PJOBs), www.gov.uk, 12 December 2012
- ^ "The Status and Location of the Military Installations of the Member States of the European Union" (PDF). Policy Department External Policies: 13–14. February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ "Welcome to Diego Garcia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2016.
- ^ Cahal Milmo (28 March 2014). "Exclusive: British Government under fire for pollution of pristine lagoon". The Independent. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ^ a b "The Chagos Archipelago - Patrol Vessel".
- ^ "North Star". www.northstarshipping.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "The High Point of our Circumnavigation?". 10 July 2020.
- TheGuardian.com. 20 February 2022.
- ^ Welcome to Diego Garcia Archived 2016-10-05 at the Wayback Machine, page 3, DIEGO GARCIA, A BRITISH TERRITORY, public.navy.mil
- ^ "HMS Spey delivers vaccines and patrols for illegal fishing in Pitcairn Islands". Royal Navy. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ "Tamar and Spey underline UK's renewed commitment to the Indo-Pacific". Royal Navy. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ "HMS Tamar protects paradise in rare visit to UK's Indian Ocean territory". Royal Navy. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
External links
- Diego Garcia: Britain's Rare Tropical Posting (forces.tv)