Nobody is constructing bases anymore. They are constructing "logistics facilities".

The language is different and so is the strategy. The hard fortresses and open military bases are not only expensive politically, but also provocative to diplomacy in the twenty-first century Indian Ocean. In their place has come something less visible yet equally strategic – access agreements, replenishment hubs and dual use ports. The Indian Ocean is increasingly turning into a web of networked logistical nodes that merge commerce and coercion.

Consider the support base of China in Djibouti. It was the first overseas military facility of Beijing that was formally explained as a logistics base to assist in anti-piracy operations and UN peacekeeping missions. Its position close to Bab el-Mandeb Strait provides China with strategic access to West Asia and East Africa. The facility aids in naval replenishment, intelligence collection and possible projection of power. But it is........

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