Page "Diego Garcia" Paragraph 47

Between 1971 and 2001, the only residents on Diego Garcia were UK and US military personnel and civilian employees of those countries.

These included contract employees from the Philippines and Mauritius, including some Ilois.

During the combat operations from the atoll against Afghanistan ( 2001 – 2006 ) and Iraq ( 2003 – 2006 ), a number of allied militaries were based on the island including Australian, Japanese and the Republic of Korea.

According to David Vine, " Today, at any given time, 3, 000 to 5, 000 U. S. troops and civilian support staff live on the island.

" The inhabitants today do not rely on the island and the surrounding waters for sustenance.

Although some recreational fishing for consumption is permitted, all other food is shipped in by sea or air.