“极其愚蠢的行为。”
这是唐纳德·特朗普总统对英国放弃一组岛屿（其中包含一个战略军事基地）的评价。
迭戈·加西亚军事基地是美国及其盟国在印太地区、中东和部分非洲地区投射力量的基石。随着英国移交岛屿主权，该基地的战略重要性使其成为政治和外交的焦点。
该岛的战略位置长期以来使其对美国军事行动至关重要，包括远程轰炸任务和海军部署——去年卫星图像显示美国轰炸机从该基地起飞，更加凸显了其重要性。
迭戈·加西亚岛位于查戈斯群岛，在20世纪60年代末70年代初英国强行驱逐当地查戈斯人后，该岛成为美英联合军事设施的所在地。七年前，即2019年，国际法院裁定英国的驱逐行动非法，并表示英国应放弃对这些岛屿的控制权。
此后，英国与毛里求斯达成协议，将这些岛屿的主权移交给位于马达加斯加附近的毛里求斯，同时允许迪戈加西亚岛继续由英国以99年租约的形式控制，并可选择续租。预计这项安排每年将耗费英国约1.36亿美元。
此前，特朗普政府曾称赞英国政府的这项决定是一项“里程碑式的成就”，确保了“美英在迪戈加西亚岛的联合军事设施的长期、稳定和有效运作”。
然而，特朗普的评估似乎已经发生了转变。
总统周二在真相社交网站上写道，“令人震惊的是，我们‘英明’的北约盟友英国，目前正计划将迪戈加西亚岛——美国一个至关重要的军事基地所在地——拱手让给毛里求斯，而且没有任何理由。”
他表示，俄罗斯和中国“毫无疑问”已经“注意到了这一彻底软弱的行为”，并认为英国“拱手让出极其重要的土地是愚蠢至极的行为”。
他强调，此举“是出于国家安全考虑必须吞并格陵兰岛的众多理由之一”。近来，特朗普越来越关注控制格陵兰岛。他声称，格陵兰岛对于建造金穹顶等设施至关重要。
英国首相办公室告诉BBC，“总统去年明确承认了迪戈加西亚岛的重要性”，并补充说，“五眼联盟”的情报机构也批准了这一移交。
特朗普周二晚些时候在白宫表示，该协议已与最初的版本有所不同。他说，“我认为他们应该保留它。”
自20世纪70年代初以来，迪戈加西亚岛一直是美英两国的秘密军事基地。它位置极其偏远，远离附近陆地，战略位置优越，使美英两国能够从印度洋向中东、印太地区和非洲拥有空中和海上力量。
该基地驻扎着美国海军、空军和太空部队以及英国皇家海军的部队。由于其地理位置，迪戈加西亚岛对于军用飞机和舰艇的加油作业也至关重要。美国轰炸机，例如B-1“枪骑兵”、B-2“幽灵”和B-52“同温层堡垒”轰炸机，以及核动力潜艇都曾在该基地出现。
9·11事件后，美国轰炸机从迪戈加西亚岛对阿富汗发动空袭；2003年入侵伊拉克期间，美国轰炸机也从该岛起飞。 1991年，该基地在第一次海湾战争期间发挥了至关重要的作用，是美国发动袭击的核心力量。该基地对支持中东行动的后勤保障至关重要，确保了飞机在附近保持作战能力。
2001年，保持着史上最长飞行距离纪录的B-2轰炸机从密苏里州怀特曼空军基地起飞，飞行超过44小时后降落在迪戈加西亚岛。
2025年6月，在美军对伊朗核设施发动袭击（即“午夜铁锤行动”）之前，专家推测，在迪戈加西亚岛发现的大量B-2轰炸机可能参与了对伊朗的某种打击行动。当时的图像显示，该基地部署了大量兵力。然而，实际的打击行动是由一支从美国本土起飞的B-2轰炸机特遣队执行的。
“An act of great stupidity.”
That is what President Donald Trump called the UK’s decision to give away a group of islands where a strategic military base is located.
The Diego Garcia military base is a cornerstone of US and allied power projection across the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. As the UK moves to transfer sovereignty of the islands, its strategic importance has turned the base into a political and diplomatic flash point.
The island’s strategic location has long made it especially valuable for US military operations, including long-range bomber missions and naval deployments— a role underscored by satellite images last year showing US bombers operating from the base.
Located in the Chagos Islands, Diego Garcia became the site of a US-UK military installation after Britain forcibly removed the native Chagossian people in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Seven years ago, in 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the removals were unlawful and said that the UK should relinquish control of the islands.
The UK has since reached a deal to transfer the sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, near Madagascar, while allowing Diego Garcia to remain under British control on a 99-year lease, with an option to renew. The arrangement is expected to cost the UK about $136 million a year.
The UK government’s decision was previously praised by the Trump administration as a “monumental achievement” that secured “the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility at Diego Garcia.”
Trump’s assessment appears to have shifted.
“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” the president wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
He said there was “no doubt” that Russia and China had “noticed this act of total weakness,” arguing that the UK “giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY.”
He stressed that the move “is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.” Trump has been increasingly focused on taking control of Greenland lately. He has argued its needed for Golden Dome, among other reasons.
The British prime minister’s office told the BBC that “the president explicitly recognised its strength last year,” adding that the Five Eyes intelligence agencies also approved of the transfer.
Trump said at the White House later on Tuesday that the deal had changed from its original format. “I think they should keep it,” he said.
Diego Garcia has been a secretive military installation for the US and UK since the early 1970s. It’s extremely remote, far from nearby landmasses, and strategically placed so that the US and UK have air power and maritime reach from the Indian Ocean toward the Middle East, Indo-Pacific, and Africa.
The base hosts units from the US Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, as well as the UK Royal Navy. Due to its geographical location, Diego Garcia is also critical for refueling operations for military aircraft and vessels. American bombers, such as B-1 Lancers, B-2 Spirits, and B-52 Stratofortresses, have been seen at the base, as well as nuclear-powered submarines.
From Diego Garcia, US bombers launched attacks in Afghanistan after 9/11 and against Iraq during the 2003 invasion. And in 1991, the installation was central to US attacks during the first Gulf War. The base was crucial to the logistics operations supporting Middle Eastern missions, keeping aircraft nearby and operational.
The B-2 bomber holding the record for the longest bombing run in history landed at Diego Garcia after flying over 44 hours from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in 2001.
In June 2025, prior to US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, or Operation Midnight Hammer, experts speculated that a significantB-2 bomber presencespotted at Diego Garcia could be involved in some sort of strike on Iran. Imagery at the time showed a notable force posture there.The actual strike, however, involved a B-2 bomber task force that flew out of the US.