The Provisional Peoples' Democratic Republic of Diego Garcia

January 12, 2006 1:57 PM

Diego Garcia, a heavenly spot you can not go to. Take your time and go through a large batch of links at this site: drinking, hot babes, great beaches.(see, too, Other links on this page) Just what is this place? Well, this is how we got it and this is a brief sketch of the place and this is the official Navy page at which you will find some odd stuff if you put your mind to it. Note, for example, employment opportunities. Ok. Now you know it is strategically located place for Amrican planes. For further information, read (see index) James Bamford, Body of Secrets.
posted by Postroad (24 comments total)

Great post.
posted by billysumday at 2:27 PM on January 12, 2006

Would you believe that it doesn't show up at all well on Google earth?
posted by wilful at 2:34 PM on January 12, 2006

I see lots of guys - and a few gals - wearing their various Diego Garcia T-shirts at the fitness center where work. Of course, I work on a US Navy facility so that is understandable. Good post.
posted by fixedgear at 2:38 PM on January 12, 2006

'Athough people from Archipelago have now acquired UK citizenship; this does not entitle them to any financial recourse. Her Majesty the Queen has signed an Order of the Council handing all powers to a commissioner to manage the Archipelago.'

Signed by the Queen at some arcane ceremony held once a year, where she doesn't read what she is signing. Democracy in action!

Outside the Royal Courts of justice before the case commenced, Jeremy Corbyn MP told Black Britain that the hearing is of major importance because:

“It challenges the whole basis on which the government legislated last year, using the Royal Order to put through an Order in Council which is a totally undemocratic form of government.”

It's a good job Mauritius is a poor country with no political or military might, otherwise we wouldn't be able to push them around so easily. There's no one like western governments for spreading justice and freedom!
posted by asok at 2:40 PM on January 12, 2006

I recently finished a 6 month deployment there. Yes, there is quite a bit of drinking and the beaches are pretty amazing. Hot babes? I don't think so, and keep in mind its a 12 to 1 men/women ratio (that's about what it was when I was there). There's no big mystery, its home of Maritime Prepositioning Squadron 2, and some other commands that you can easily read up on at GlobalSecurity.org or FAS.org, including my old command, NSGD Diego Garcia.
posted by tetsuo at 2:40 PM on January 12, 2006

And if you can find it, John Pilger did a pretty informative mini-doc on the history of the island a couple of years back called "Stealing A Nation".
posted by tetsuo at 2:56 PM on January 12, 2006

You mean the documentary linked in the post?
posted by Captain_Tenille at 3:06 PM on January 12, 2006

Crap, opened them all in separate tabs and left that one hanging..sorry.
posted by tetsuo at 3:07 PM on January 12, 2006

Here's a link to the documentary, Stealing a Nation, the one linked to in the wiki article doesn't work.

thanks for the post.
posted by squeak at 3:18 PM on January 12, 2006

Huh?
posted by rafter at 3:22 PM on January 12, 2006

Awesome (from this NSFW page).
posted by rafter at 3:34 PM on January 12, 2006

I heard that DG has great waves for surfing. True?
posted by bonefish at 4:01 PM on January 12, 2006

Yes and No. Good waves, but you can only swim in the shallows of the lagoon in the center. The oceanside is off limits, its simply too dangerous.
posted by tetsuo at 4:14 PM on January 12, 2006

I do remember windsurfing was pretty popular in the lagoon though.
posted by tetsuo at 4:18 PM on January 12, 2006

I hear that Guantanamo Bay's not too bad either in the hurricane off season. And that the chicks are really hot - they pee on your Koran!

(kidding)
posted by anthill at 4:48 PM on January 12, 2006

Previous Diego Garcia MefiGoodness: here and here.
posted by languagehat at 4:54 PM on January 12, 2006

Flickr-tag
posted by hoskala at 5:05 PM on January 12, 2006

Hello. My name is Diego Garcia. You killed my father. Perpare to die.
posted by mono blanco at 5:52 PM on January 12, 2006 [2 favorites]

When the Japs (how come we can say Brits but can't say Japs?) bombed Ceylon in early 1942 (their First Air Fleet got around that year, until getting f~ed over at Midway) the Brits new they were coming so relocated navy stuff in S India that they could to Diego Garcia, a secret base that the Japs (sorry) didn't know about until after the war.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 6:11 PM on January 12, 2006

"Diego Garcia, a heavenly spot you can not go to."

Oh, there is a way to 'go to' it. This process starts by visiting your local Naval Recruiting office. Of course, you might just get stationed in Antarctica or Bahrain instead, but it may be worth the risk.
posted by UseyurBrain at 7:12 PM on January 12, 2006

I don't believe the Navy has Anarctica duty anymore, and Bahrain is actually a somewhat coveted posting primarily due to the tax-free status and high quality of life. The crappiest duty stations are probably Guantanamo, Sasebo, and of course, Great Lakes, IL.

BTW, its not only Navy, there's a fairly large Air Force contingent there too.
posted by tetsuo at 7:30 PM on January 12, 2006

"Footprint of Freedom".
posted by pwedza at 8:23 PM on January 12, 2006

Meanwhile, the US Army "owns" Kwajalein Atoll.
http://www.wiehes.com/kwaj.html
http://www.smdc.army.mil/RTS.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwajalein

And, no, you can't go there.

P.S. Bonus point question. What time zone is Kwajalien in?
posted by davebarnes at 9:18 PM on January 12, 2006

Maritime Prepositioning Squadron

outstanding
posted by nervousfritz at 1:31 AM on January 13, 2006