{"id":27355,"date":"2021-03-10T20:29:20","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T20:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/03\/10\/us-military-conducted-fewer-fonops-in-fy-2020\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:20:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:20:03","slug":"us-military-conducted-fewer-fonops-in-fy-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/03\/10\/us-military-conducted-fewer-fonops-in-fy-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"US military challenged fewer maritime claims with FONOPs in FY 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. military used freedom of navigation operations, or FONOPs, to challenge 28 excessive maritime claims by 19 nations worldwide in fiscal 2020, the Pentagon said Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That marks a reduction from fiscal 2019, when U.S. forces challenged 36 maritime claims by 22 countries, according to Defense Department data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon does not make public precisely how many FONOPs are undertaken in a given year, though most are conducted by U.S. Navy ships to challenge claims on waters that are international by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such claims run counter to lawful commerce \u201cand the global mobility of U.S. forces,\u201d the Pentagon said in its announcement of its Fiscal 2020 FONOP report<\/a> to Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs long as restrictions on navigation and overflight rights and freedoms that exceed the authority provided under international law persist, the United States will continue to challenge such unlawful maritime claims,\u201d the Pentagon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t