US Navy conducts operation in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone without prior consent

The U.S. Navy said one of its warship carried out Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) in Indian EEZ.

In a rare and unusual public statement, the U.S. Navy conceded that it had violated India’s maritime policy by exercising in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The U.S. Navy said one of its warship carried out Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) in Indian EEZ. “USS John Paul Jones asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands, inside India’s exclusive economic zone, without requesting India’s prior consent, consistent with international law,” the U.S. Navy’s 7th fleet said in a statement dated April 7. “India requires prior consent for military exercises or maneuvers in its exclusive economic zone or continental shelf, a claim inconsistent with international law.”