Changes in U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea (2009-2023)

On December 4, 2023, the U.S. Navy ship USS Gabrielle Giffords conducted a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) in the Spratly Islands, marking the fifth and final publicly acknowledged FONOP by the Biden administration in the South China Sea in 2023. Surrounding this issue, various divergent opinions have been expressed: some argue that the FONOPs indicate the U.S. maintains its focus on the South China Sea, while others suggest that FONOPs should not be the sole basis for assessing the U.S. level of engagement in the region; some assess that the U.S. is reducing its attention on South China Sea FONOPs, while others believe that FONOPs are receiving increased qualitative investment; and some view the FONOPs as politically motivated, while others contend that they are purely legal in nature.

 

These issues are all relevant to Vietnam, as Vietnam is both the target of several U.S. FONOP and a South China Sea claimant paying attention to U.S. regional engagement. In this context, the paper will focus on how the U.S. approached the South China Sea FONOPs by analyzing of the changes in FONOPs from the Obama administration (when the U.S. began publicly announcing South China Sea FONOPs more immediately) to the end of 2023, and then relate these findings to Vietnam, offering insights on how Vietnam can address the issues it is concerned about.