December 15, 2020 – USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of Tsushima Strait near Japan today. The ship conducted normal operations within claimed territorial seas to challenge excessive maritime claims and preserve access to the waterways as governed by international law. U.S. forces operate in the Indo-Pacific region on a daily basis, as…
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USS John S. McCain conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation
November 24, 2020 – USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan. This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging Russia’s excessive maritime claims. In 1984, the U.S.S.R declared a…
Read MoreUSS Nitze Conducts “Freedom of Navigation” off Venezuela
June 23, 2020 – USS Nitze (DDG 94) conducted a freedom of navigation operation, contesting an excessive maritime claim by Venezuela. The U.S. Navy ship conducted the operation in international waters outside Venezuela’s 12 nautical-mile territorial jurisdiction. During the operation, the ship lawfully navigated an area the illegitimate Maduro regime falsely claims to have control over, a claim that is…
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