Naval Missions and the Law of the Sea

Since both SSBN operations and distant-water activities depend upon the right to navigate outside internal and territorial waters, it might be expected that the naval interests of the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France would tend to favor traditional high seas freedoms. It is, in fact, commonly assumed that free transit through international straits and the preservation of liberal navigation rights outside a 12-mile territorial sea would be to the advantage of the four major navies. It is generally true that the naval operations of the four countries are facilitated by transit rights through straits and navigation rights along coastlines. This Article suggests, however, that the facilitation is greater for some navies and naval missions than for others.