,,iii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eih ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #cj1 #bjah,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself and ,ms4 ,murkowski7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,calling upon the ,united ,states ,senate to give its advice and consent to the ratification of the ,united ,nations ,convention on the ,law of the ,sea4 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,convention on the ,law of the ,sea 7,,unclos7 was adopted by ,third ,united ,nations ,conference on the ,law of the ,sea in ,december #aihb1 and entered into force in ,november #aiid to establish a treaty regime to govern activities on1 over1 and under the world's oceans2 ,whereas ,,unclos builds on four #aieh law of the sea conventions to which the ,united ,states is a party1 including the ,convention on the ,territorial ,sea and the ,contiguous ,zone1 the ,convention on the ,high ,seas1 the ,convention on the ,continental ,shelf1 and the ,convention on ,fishing and ,conservation of the ,living ,resources of the ,high ,seas2 ,whereas the treaty and an associated #aiid agreement relating to implementation of the treaty were transmitted to the ,senate on ,october #f1 #aiid1 and1 in the absence of ,senate advice and consent to adherence1 the ,united ,states is not a party to the convention and the associated #aiid agreement2 ,whereas the convention has been ratified by #afg parties1 which includes #aff states and the ,european ,union1 but not the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,united ,states1 like most other countries1 believes that coastal states under ,,unclos have the right to regulate economic activities in their ,exclusive ,economic ,zones 7,e,e,zs71 but do not have the right to regulate foreign military activities in their ,e,e,zs2 ,whereas the treaty's provisions relating to navigational rights1 including those in ,e,e,zs1 reflect the ,united ,states diplomatic position on the issue dating back to ,,unclos's adoption in #aihb2 ,whereas becoming a party to the treaty would reinforce the ,united ,states perspective into permanent international law2 ,whereas becoming a party to the treaty would give the ,united ,states standing to participate in discussions relating to the treaty and thereby improve the ,united ,states ability to intervene as a full party to disputes relating to navigational rights1 and to defend ,united ,states interpretations of the treaty's provisions1 including those relating to whether coastal states have a right under ,,unclos to regulate foreign military activities in their ,e,e,zs2 ,whereas relying on customary international norms to defend ,united ,states interests in these issues is not sufficient1 because it is not universally accepted and is subject to change over time based on state practice2 ,whereas relying on other nations to assert claims on behalf of the ,united ,states at the ,hague ,convention is woefully insufficient to defend and uphold ,united ,states sovereign rights and interests2 ,whereas the ,permanent ,court of ,arbitration1 in their ,july #ab1 #bjaf1 ruling on the case ,in the ,matter of the ,south ,china ,sea ,arbitration1 stated that the ,tribunal forwarded to the ,parties for their comment a ,note ,verbale from the ,embassy of the ,united ,states of ,america1 requesting to send a representative to observe the hearing and the ,tribunal communicated to the ,parties and the ,u4,s4 ,embassy that it had decided that only interested ,states parties to the ,united ,nations ,convention on the ,law of the ,sea will be admitted as observers and thus could not accede to the ,u4,s4 request2 ,whereas the past ,chief of ,naval ,operations1 ,admiral ,jonathan ,greenert1 stated as a party to ,,unclos1 we will be in a better position to counter the efforts of coastal nations to restrict freedom of the seas on ,february #af1 #bjab1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,secretary of the ,navy1 the ,honorable ,ray ,mabus1 stated that the ,,unclos treaty guarantees rights such as innocent passage through territorial seas2 transit passage through1 under and over international straits2 and the laying and maintaining of submarine cables1 and that the convention has been approved by nearly every maritime power and all the permanent members of the ,,un ,security ,council1 except the ,united ,states on ,february #af1 #bjab1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,secretary of the ,navy1 the ,honorable ,ray ,mabus1 further stated that our notable absence as a signatory weakens our position with other nations1 allowing the introduction of expansive definitions of sovereignty on the high seas that undermine our ability to defend our mineral rights along our own continental shelf and in the ,arctic1 and that the ,department strongly supports the accession to ,,unclos1 an action consistently recommended by my predecessors of both parties on ,february #af1 #bjab1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,president and the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the ,united ,states ,chamber of ,commerce1 ,thomas ,j4 ,donahue1 stated that the ,chamber supports joining the ,convention because it is in our national interest--both in our national security and our economic interests1 that becoming a party to the ,treaty benefits the ,u4,s4 economically by providing ,american companies the legal certainty and stability they need to hire and invest1 and that companies will be hesitant to take on the investment risk and cost to explore and develop the resources of the sea--particularly on the extended continental shelf 7,,ecs7--without the legal certainty and stability accession to ,,los provides on ,june #bh1 #bjab1 before the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 ,whereas ,mr4 ,donahue further stated that the benefits of joining cut across many important industries including telecommunications1 mining1 shipping1 and oil and natural gas1 and joining the ,convention will provide the ,u4,s4 a critical voice on maritime issues--from mineral claims in the ,arctic to how ,international ,seabed ,authority 7,,isa7 funds are distributed on ,june #bh1 #bjab1 before the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 ,whereas the past ,commander of ,united ,states ,pacific ,command1 ,admiral ,samuel ,j4 ,locklear1 stated that ,,unclos is widely accepted after a lot of years of deliberation by many1 many countries1 most countries in my ,area of ,responsibility 7,,aor7 and that when we're not a signatory1 it reduces our overall credibility when we bring it up as a choice of how you might solve a dispute of any kind on ,april #af1 #bjae1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,commandant of the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard1 ,admiral ,paul ,zukunft1 stated on ,february #ab1 #bjaf1 that with the receding of the icepack1 the ,arctic ,ocean has become the focus of international interest1 that all ,arctic states agree that the ,law of the ,sea ,convention is the governing legal regime for the ,arctic ,ocean ''' yet1 we remain the only ,arctic nation that has not ratified the very instrument that provides this accepted legal framework governing the ,arctic ,ocean and its seabed1 and that ratification of the ,law of the ,sea ,convention supports our economic interests1 environmental protection1 and safety of life at sea1 especially in the ,arctic ,ocean2 ,whereas former ,chief of ,naval ,operations1 ,admiral ,jonathan ,greenert1 further stated that remaining outside ,law of the ,sea ,convention 7,,losc7 is inconsistent with our principles1 our national security strategy and our leadership in commerce and trade and that virtually every major ally of the ,u4,s4 is a party to ,,losc1 as are all other permanent members of the ,u4,n4 ,security ,council and all other ,arctic nations on ,june #ad1 #bjab1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas ,admiral ,greenert further stated that our absence from ,,losc could provide an excuse for nations to selectively choose among ,convention provisions or abandon it altogether1 thereby eroding the navigational freedoms we enjoy today and that accession would enhance multilateral operations with our partners and demonstrate a clear commitment to the rule of law for the oceans on ,june #ad1 #bjab1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,special ,representative of ,state for the ,arctic and former ,commandant of the ,coast ,guard1 ,admiral ,robert ,papp1 ,jr41 stated that as a non-party to the ,law of the ,sea ,convention1 the ,u4,s4 is at a significant disadvantage relative to the other ,arctic ,ocean coastal ,states1 that those ,states are parties to the ,convention1 and are well along the path to obtaining legal certainty and international recognition of their ,arctic extended continental shelf1 and that becoming a ,party to the ,law of the ,sea ,convention would allow the ,united ,states to fully secure its rights to the continental shelf off the coast of ,alaska1 which is likely to extend out to more than #fjj nautical miles on ,december #aj1 #bjad1 before the ,subcommittee on ,europe1 ,eurasia and ,emerging ,threats of the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 ,whereas the ,chairman of the ,joints ,chiefs of ,staff1 ,general ,joseph ,f4 ,dunford1 stated that the ,convention provides legal certainty in the world's largest maneuver space1 that access would strengthen the legal foundation for our ability to transit through international straits and archipelagic waters2 preserve our right to conduct military activities in other countries' ,exclusive ,economic ,zones 7,e,e,zs7 without notice or permission2 reaffirm the sovereign immunity of warships2 provide a framework to counter excessive maritime claims2 and preserve or operations and intelligence-collection activities1 and that joining the ,convention would also demonstrate our commitment to the rule of law1 strengthen our credibility among those nations that are already party to the ,convention1 and allow us to bring the full force of our influence in challenging excessive maritime claims on ,july #i1 #bjae1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas ,chairman of the ,joints ,chiefs of ,staff ,general ,dunford further stated that by remaining outside the ,convention1 the ,united ,states remains in scarce company with ,iran1 ,venezuela1 ,north ,korea1 and ,syria and that by failing to join the ,convention1 some countries may come to doubt our commitment to act in accordance with international law on ,july #i1 #bjae1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,chief of ,naval ,operations1 ,admiral ,john ,m4 ,richardson1 stated that acceding to the ,convention would strengthen our credibility and strategic position and that we undermine our leverage by not signing up to the same rule book by which we are asking other countries to accept on ,july #cj1 #bjae1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas ,admiral ,richardson further stated that becoming a part of ,,unclos would give us a great deal of credibility1 and particularly as it pertains to the unfolding opportunities in the ,arctic and that this provides a framework to adjudicate disputes on ,july #cj1 #bjae1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,assistant ,secretary of ,defense for ,asian and ,pacific ,security ,affairs1 the ,honorable ,david ,shear1 stated that while the ,united ,states operates consistent with the ,united ,nations convention on the law of the sea1 we've seen positive momentum in promoting shared rules of the road and that our efforts would be greatly strengthened by ,senate ratification of ,,unclos on ,september #ag1 #bjae1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas the ,commander of the ,united ,states ,pacific ,command1 ,admiral ,harry ,b4 ,harris1 stated that all maritime claims must be derived from land features in accordance with international law as reflected in the ,law of the ,sea ,convention1 and any disputes should be settled peacefully and in accordance with international law and that our efforts would be greatly strengthened by ,senate ratification of ,,unclos on ,september #ag1 #bjae1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 ,whereas ,admiral ,harris further stated that ,i think that by not signing onto it that we lose the creditability for the very same thing that we're arguing for ''' which is the following--accepting rules and norms in the international arena4 ,the ,united ,states is a beacon--we're a beacon on a hill but ,i think that light is brighter if we sign on to ,,unclos on ,february #bc1 #bjaf1 at a hearing before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 and ,whereas former ,commander of ,united ,states ,pacific ,command1 retired ,admiral ,dennis ,blair1 stated that if we want to focus on the ,asia-,pacific going forward1 we're going to have to find a way to pass the ,law of the ,sea because it does hurt us and it is striking to us that the ,chinese have signed and they're obligated but don't want to do it1 and that we have not signed but want them to do it1 right8 ,so it's ironical to many in the region on ,july #ac1 #bjaf1 before the ,subcommittee on ,east ,asia1 the ,pacific1 and ,international ,cyber ,security of the ,committee on ,foreign ,services of the ,senate3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 affirms that it is in the national interest for the ,united ,states to become a formal signatory of the ,united ,nations ,convention of the ,law of the ,sea2 7#b7 urges the ,senate to give its advice and consent to the ratification of the ,united ,nations ,convention of the ,law of the ,sea 7,,unclos72 and 7#c7 recommends the ratification of ,,unclos remain a top priority for the administration1 having received bipartisan support from every ,president since #aiid1 and having most recently been underscored by the strategic challenges the ,united ,states faces in the ,asia-,pacific region and more specifically in the ,south ,china ,sea4