Defense Secretary Ash Carter is defending the Navy’s patrol of the disputed South China Seas following questions from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) about the operation.

Carter said the patrol was “conducted in full accordance with international law,” and was a “a normal and routine operation,” in a letter to the Senate Armed Services chairman first obtained and published by U.S. Naval Institute News.

In October, the Navy sent the USS Lassen destroyer within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago built by China.

The move enraged Chinese officials, who called it “dangerous” and “provocative.” China has been building artificial islands to bolster its claims to the disputed waters.
U.S. officials have said little publically about the operation.

McCain asked Carter to clarify the Navy’s intentions after reports surfaced the ship operated under what is known as “innocent passage” — when a ship takes measures to convey it is passing through waters belonging to another nation without any provocation.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/defense/264963-carter-explains-south-china-sea-operation-in-letter-to-mccain