U.S. Pacific Fleet Waiting For Orders - Institute for Maritime and Ocean Affairs

The Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Scott Swift says that it is up to the policymakers in Washington whether to give orders to the country’s sailors to patrol within 12 nautical miles of the newly constructed islands claimed by China in the controversial South China Sea.

While speaking during an interview on Thursday, the Commander of the Pacific Fleet spoke about tension mounting due to Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea but admitted that although US will sail near the disputed islands to challenge China’s claims, the final decision rests on the country’s policymakers.

Swift told the Associated Press that his Pacific Fleet has the capabilities to enter the controversial waters but went on to claim that such an exercise will be conducted in a bid to reinforce international laws and the law of sea and that these patrols will not be aimed at a specific country.

“We’re ready,” Swift said at his Pearl Harbor office. “We have the resources to support whatever those policy decisions are and whatever policymakers may ask us to do to demonstrate the U.S. resolve with respect to the operations that we conduct in the South China Sea.”