John Kerry

By not acceding to the Convention, we forgo the best and strongest legal footing for our actions.

I would certainly hope the United States does not give any consideration in going to war with China over the South China Sea.

I would rather have the United States be at that table, and I will bet you if we are at the table within the confines of this, we can help resolve some of those issues.

I support this treaty.

Joining the Convention will reinforce United States international leadership in the maritime domain.

Acceding to LOSC will increase our credibility in invoking and enforcing the treaty's provisions.

The Convention is an important component of a rules-based approach that encourages peaceful resolution of these maritime disputes.

I believe it is important to our ability to reduce our reliance on customary international law.

I am fully confident that our accession to the Convention will advance U.S. national security interests in the Pacific Command area of responsibility.

The United States will benefit from the support LOSC provides to our operations.

We are the only Arctic nation outside the Convention.

Without joining the Law of the Sea, we are deprived of critical benefits and protections under the treaty.

We are particularly privileged to have you here today, and we thank you for joining us.

If we expect to be able to manage our own energy future and our need for rare earth minerals, we must be a party to the Law of the Sea Convention.

The U.S. National Security and Strategic Imperatives for Ratification.

I am personally deeply supportive of it, and I believe it is now more urgent than ever that we ratify it because to remain outside of it is fundamentally directly counter to the best interests of our country.

The hearing will come to order.

THE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY AND STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES FOR RATIFICATION

I am convinced beyond any doubt that joining the other 160 nations that are party to the treaty will protect America's economic interests and our strategic security interests.

I'm worried that some people--I don't want to see this important entity get caught in the partisan crosshairs of this Congress.

I'll just say in closing, Mr. Chairman, that with respect to Europe, what the United States does is going to have a profound impact on what they do.

I think a lot of good work has been done in the Commission, and I salute both bipartisan and thoughtful considerations.

The signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement by President Obama last week signaled the gradual transition from a war-fighting posture to a supportive role.

To a person, everyone emphatically stated that the completion of this agreement is something of a game-changer.

NATO is--and I think this is a shared judgment--a fundamental element of our national security.