US missile-guided destroyer- USS John Paul Jones carried out a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) inside India's maritime EEZ on 7th April and the same was confirmed officially by a press release from US Navy’s 7th Fleet. Though the US Navy has conducted similar operations in Indian waters in recent years, these were not publicized earlier hence raising suspicions about the current events.

The press release stated " 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 release noted that India’s position on prior consent for military exercises or maneuvers in its EEZ or continental shelf was “inconsistent with international law”. It further said the US Navy conducts routine and regular FONOPs and will continue to do so in the future, and that such operations “are not about one country, nor are they about making political statements”.

According to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on Law of the Seas) a country's territorial water extends up to 12 nautical miles from the coast while the EEZ is up to 200 nautical miles. While ratifying this law, India laid the condition that any military vessels coming into its EEZ will be required to inform India whereas, on the other hand, China prohibited any ship coming into their EEZ. A country has exclusive access to resources within its EEZ. These said conditions are not accepted by USA as it does not recognize rules that are superimposed upon international conventions which it has not ratified.( UNCLOS is not ratified by the US )

Though such operations were also carried out eariler acccording to the US defense department’s annual freedom of navigation reports posted online in India’s EEZ in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019. However, no press releases were issued at the time to publicize these operations.

This comes at an interesting time when India-US bilateral relations are reaching an all-time high with the formation of the Quad alliance to counter China. Also, in early April France, India, the US, Japan, and Australia carried out complex maritime drills in the region to enhance interoperability among their navies.

“The USS John Paul Jones was continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits. We have conveyed our concerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the government of the USA through diplomatic channels. Laws does not authorize other States to carry out operations in the Exclusive Economic Zone and on the continental shelf military exercises or maneuvers, in particular those involving the use of weapons or explosives, without the consent of the coastal state.” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Subtle messaging to China:

China has been creating artificial islands in the South China Sea by dumping sand from the sea bed and in turn using these artificially created islands to increase its size of EEZ. American ships carry FONOP in those waters too challenging China's hegemony there. According to experts Americans may have spoken quietly to their Indian counterparts and said this is a message to China, and not to take unkindly of it. While some other experts say that Americans are unwilling to accommodate any excesses by countries in the maritime sector even by friendly countries like India and want to assert their dominance on the world stage.

Admiral Arun Prakash in a tweet said: