The island of Diego Garcia (featured bottom right) sits in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and its large airfield has long been a highly strategic location for the U.S. military. But now, the U.K. is reportedly prohibiting the U.S. from using Diego Garcia as well as a Royal Air Force base in the U.K. (RAF Fairford) to attack Iran. The decision would impact American plans to use long range bombers in a sustained operation against the rogue regime.
Diego Garcia has been previously used by the U.S. Department of War to hold Space Force operations and to house U.S. Navy vessels.
Last year, six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were deployed to the island to intimidate Iran, performing strikes in Yemen on Iranian-backed Houthi militants. The previous deployment would be expected because of recent events. However, there are no reports of any B-2s being deployed as of yet.
Meanwhile, RAF Fairford is located in Gloucestershire, England, and is the only location in the U.K. where the U.S. operates to deploy strategic aircraft for Bomber Task Force missions.
Retired Navy Commander Kirk Lippold was a recent guest on Fox and Friends.
"I think what you're seeing is the collapse and failure of the Kier Starmer administration,” states Lippold.
Starmer is the current prime minister of the U.K. since July 2024.
Lippold says that the U.S. should look at how the U.K. has been acting today, how much of a partner they are globally, and what they're doing in Diego Garcia and other places. Furthermore, they should look at the impacts that they're having on rights like freedom of speech.
“When you look at those things, the U.S. needs to consider the special relationship that we've truly had with the U.K.,” advises Lippold. “At some point, even in Five Eyes, the intelligence organization of major English-speaking nations, we need to consider whether or not the U.K. could continue to be a reliable partner."
