Letter from the President

NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES Serving the Sea Services since 1902
June 2012 Dear Council Members and Friends: You may have heard of the clamor for the U.S. to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also known as the Law Of the Sea Treaty (LOST). This is a treaty, not a trade agreement, and it has the power of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The basic pros and cons of this issue are whether or not the United States will become a signatory to this treaty. The United States did sign the Treaty in 1994, but it was never ratified by the Senate due to particularly onerous sections. Now, new circumstances make it less attractive than ever; but the current administration, some members of the Senate, and certain big businesses are pushing for ratification. There are already 162 signatories to the treaty, including China, Russia, and Cuba, but the U.S. is not one of them. The tenets of the treaty claim that the world has joint and equal rights on the high seas as well as rights to the minerals, etc., found on and under the sea bed. The treaty gives land-locked countries the same rights as those that border the seas. Since the provisions of the treaty are monitored, controlled, and arbitrated by a special committee of the United Nations using democratic processes, it is not hard to see that only 82 nations could "vote" for actions detrimental to the United States. This would require not only that the U.S. provide them proprietary technology, but also that it provide for them economic opportunities, in addition to handing over to them a share of any profits. Using a simple majority vote, those nations could also extort favors from the U.S. in order to get their vote for U.S. interests. Your Board of Directors took up this issue at the last meeting, and they were unanimous in their opposition to the treaty. On the other hand, the Navy and the National Office of the Navy League is in favor of the treaty. That this is a contentious issue is readily apparent. The Navy League has a rich history of saying what Navy leadership could not say publicly (due to political ramifications). Your Board and I believe that this Law Of the Sea Treaty is an issue where the Navy League should take a different stand than Navy leadership. There is a letter in the June issue of Sea Power magazine (page 8) by CAPT Vincent Averna which states clearly the reasons the U.S. should not be a party to the treaty. On balance, there are two additional articles in the magazine that are in favor of the treaty. I urge you to read them all. You will note that CAPT Avernas letter is detailed and specific in opposition and cites specific sections of the treaty as proof the treaty is not good for the United States. The other articles are vague and sweeping and do not answer critical questions at all. If you wish to take a stand, as I do, please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to vote against this bad treaty. Also know that I will take this message to the National Convention later this month and press for a reversal of the Navy Leagues favorable stance on LOST. -- Harry Boyd