Freedom of the Seas Requires US Leadership
U.S.-led Freedom of Navigation operations have dropped off in the South China Sea, at the same time as China has intensified its coercive actions in the region.
By David F. Lasseter
June 04, 2024
A recently conducted joint patrol of the South China Seas (SCS) between the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines marked the first combined multinational maritime patrol in those contested waters. It’s about time.
Freedom of Navigation operations, or FONOPs, have served a critically important role in U.S. diplomacy and security for decades. Since 1979, the U.S. FONOPs program has asserted U.S. rights and freedoms around the globe in accordance with international norms and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. After the U.S. Department of State diplomatically protests unlawful restrictions on navigational rights, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) conducts sailing and flying operations that are both compliant with international law and designed to challenge the unlawful restrictions. FONOPs are routinely executed as peaceful, objective protests, and, though they do not address competing territorial sovereignty claims or maritime boundary disputes, are an essential part of U.S. global security strategy.
The recent show of force by the joint patrol and the announced intention for more operations in the South China Sea represents a meaningful step forward in countering Chinese aggression in the region. But will it be sustained?
https://thediplomat.com/2024/06/freedom-of-the-seas-requires-us-leadership/
