Navy warship steams near contested Spratly Island reefs militarized by China

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Navy on Saturday sent a warship steaming past two of the seven features China has militarized in the South China Sea to challenge restrictions imposed on innocent passage, according to the 7th Fleet.

The USS Montgomery operated near Johnson and Fiery Cross reefs in the Spratly Islands, according to Navy photos from the advanced littoral combat ship.
The mission marked the first South China Sea freedom-of-navigation operation reported in 2020.

The operation challenged attempts by China, Vietnam and Taiwan to “require either permission or advance notification before a foreign military vessel engages in ‘innocent passage’ through territorial seas,” which are inconsistent with international law, 7th Fleet spokesman Lt. Joe Keiley said in an email Tuesday.

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