US Generals Warned Trump Against Chagos Islands Deal

Donald Trump turned against Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to surrender the Chagos Islands after being warned by top US generals it would “weaken” the American military. The US president received a letter from nine former army, navy and intelligence leaders 48 hours before he described the agreement as “an act of great stupidity”. In it, defence chiefs warned that Britain’s deal to give away the archipelago to Mauritius would make the Diego Garcia US airbase there “inherently less secure”. Mr Trump cautiously backed the deal when it was signed last year, saying he was minded to “go along with” it. It can now be revealed his change of heart came shortly after he received a letter signed by senior military chiefs warning about the dangers of the pact. The names of the signatories have not been released publicly but the letter was signed by retired four-star admirals and generals – the highest rank in the US military – as well as former heads of defence intelligence. ‘Once sovereignty is transferred, it cannot be recovered’ Ex leaders in the Indo-Pacific Command, the US Central Command and the Stratcom nuclear deterrence body were among those to voice concerns. They wrote: “From a military standpoint, sovereignty matters. A base held under lease, subject to international arbitration, political pressure, or third party treaty obligations, is inherently less secure than one held under sovereign authority. “It introduces uncertainty into contingency planning and weakens deterrence by signalling conditional access rather than assured access. In an era of lawfare and coercive diplomacy, that distinction is operational, not theoretical. “The proposed transfer of sovereignty to Mauritius would introduce a new and unnecessary variable into the command, legal, and political environment surrounding one of America’s most important overseas bases. “Once sovereignty is transferred, it cannot be recovered. Any future crisis would be managed from a weaker position than the one we hold today.” While most of the signatories wanted to keep their names out of the public domain, one who agreed to release his name was Col Grant Newsham, a former reserve head of intelligence for Marine Forces Pacific and an expert on China. The letter echoes concerns expressed by China hawks in the UK. The increasingly close links between Mauritius and Beijing have sparked alarm amongst MPs and Peers who are fighting a rearguard action to try and block the deal. Last week the Mauritian government put out a statement pledging to “strengthen cooperation” following a meeting with the Chinese ambassador. As well as being an important US airbase for long-distance bombing runs, the island is a key deep water port for nuclear powered submarines in the region. The former military leaders warned: “Diego Garcia has long supported missions involving nuclear powered vessels and platforms central to deterrence and strategic reach. “Even if current assurances are given, future governments or third parties could invoke Pelindaba obligations to challenge or constrain operations. “This creates an avenue for legal pressure, diplomatic coercion, and operational disruption that does not exist under current sovereign arrangements.” ‘Diego Garcia must remain certain’ In a direct plea to Mr Trump, they added: “This is not a matter of diplomacy or symbolism. It is about preserving the ability of the United States and its allies to act decisively in defence of shared security interests. “We respectfully urge you to engage directly with the United Kingdom Government and make clear that any arrangement which dilutes sovereignty over Diego Garcia undermines the military effectiveness, deterrent value, and long term security of the base. “Strong alliances depend on certainty. Diego Garcia must remain certain.” Downing Street signed the agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands last May, despite controversy over the costs and security implications. Posting on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday morning, Mr Trump criticised the deal, saying it was made “for no reason whatsoever”. He also cited the agreement as a reason why America should take control of Greenland – a demand that has already harmed relations between the UK and the US. He later told a White House press conference: “I think that when they originally were going to do it, they were talking about doing some concept of ownership but now they’re looking to essentially just do a lease and sell it. And I’m against that.” Ministers have argued it is necessary to secure the future of the Diego Garcia base because of an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In the non-binding opinion, the ICJ backed sovereignty claims by Mauritius, which at 1,300 miles away is not even the archipelago’s closest neighbour. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has insisted the agreement would still go ahead, despite ministers having previously said they would not enact it without US support. Sir Keir has made more than a dozen about-turns during his first 18 months in Government but is unlikely to back down on the Chagos deal because it has the support of almost all of his Labour MPs. The White House has signalled trade talks with Britain are now on hold amid an escalating row. Under the pact, the UK will hand control of the Chagos Islands, a remote and strategic archipelago in the Indian Ocean, over to Mauritius. Britain will then lease back Diego Garcia, its biggest island and the site of a major US airbase, for 99 years at a cost of up to £35bn to taxpayers.