U.S. chief of naval operations supports U.N. Sea Convention
Adm. Vern Clark, U.S. chief of naval operations, has urged the U.S. accession to the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention.
In remarks prepared for the Senate Armed Services Committee, Clark called the convention a “stable and predictable legal regime.”
Clark told the committee that compulsory settlement provisions in the convention would not affect U.S. military activities. The U.S. Navy can still operate “in exclusive economic zones without the need for permission or prior notice,” he said.
Clark explained that the Navy’s transformation plan known as Sea Power 21 will provide sea basing for U.S. forces where land-based access is either denied by foreign governments or made unfeasible by the risk of terrorist attacks.
Sea basing, Clark concluded, “will result in a leaner 'footprint' for joint forces ashore,” as well as enhanced logistics operations. “The convention will help preserve our ability to provide these capabilities wherever and whenever needed,” he said.