Archipelagic Sea Lanes Designation: Considerations for Operational Level Planners.

Abstract : This month, Indonesia will submit to the Maritime Safety Committee of the international Maritime Organization (IMO) a compromise proposal for the partial designation of Archipelagic Sea Lanes (ASLs) in accordance with Article 53 of the 1992 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The United States raised objections and blocked Indonesia's earlier proposals before the IMO based on national security concerns but has more recently worked very closely with Indonesia to craft a proposal that is both acceptable to the United States and to be acceptable to other concerned maritime powers. This paper provides a brief background of the issues surrounding ASL designation, reviews the current status of the Indonesian proposal, frames the United States' position on the designation of ASLs and discusses the operational limitations that will be imposed on military forces required to operate in designated sea lanes once they are approved by the INC.