During the administration ofPresident Barack Obama, there were six instances of theUnited States Navy performing afreedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in theSouth China Sea (SCS). During the same period the USN also performed multiple other FONOPs in other parts of the world. The SCS operations involvedArleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyers assigned toUnited States Seventh Fleet. The U.S. FONOP program began in 1979^[1] and theDepartment of Defense (DoD) keeps public records of FONOPs since 1991 on its website.^[2] TheDepartment of State (DoS) provided guidance to the DoD on conducting FONOPs, with a particular focus on theSouth China Sea andEast China Sea, while pushing back on thePeople's Republic of China and their"excessive territorial claims", specifically with theSpratly Islands,Paracel Islands, andSenkaku Islands.^[3]

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  August 15, 2013–USSCurtis Wilbur (DDG-54) patrols thePhilippine Sea.^[4]
• May 21, 2015– USP-8A Poseidon conducts an overflight ofFiery Cross Reef.^[5]
• October 27, 2015–USS Lassen (DDG-82) transits within 12 nautical miles ofSubi Reef andMischief Reef.^[6]
• January 30, 2016–USSCurtis Wilbur (DDG-54) transits within 12 nautical miles ofTriton Island in theParacel Islands.^[7]
• May 10, 2016–USSWilliam P. Lawrence (DDG-110) transits within 12 nautical miles ofFiery Cross Reef in theSpratly Islands.^[8]
• October 21, 2016–USS Decatur (DDG-73) transits nearTriton Island andWoody Island in the Paracel Islands.^[9] Although this was not within the 12 nautical mile boundaries of each island, it did contest the excessive baseline claims byChina.^[10]
• January 20, 2017– Formal end of Barack Obama's presidency withinauguration ofPresident Donald Trump

The ChinesePeople's Liberation Army (Navy) had established a significant presence in vicinity of theParacel (Xisha) Islands through their own FONOPs prior to their confrontation withVietnam during theBattle of the Paracel Islands in 1974. According toChinese Law, specifically the 1992Territorial Sea/Contiguous Zone (1992 TS/CZ) Law, China has full ownership of theParacel Islands, which has created tension with theSocialist Republic of Vietnam and theRepublic of China (Taiwan).^[11]

In 1983,President Ronald Reagan declared that the U.S. would not ratify the 1982Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III). China signed and ratified UNCLOS III in 1996.^[12] Nevertheless, the U.S. Navy- under the Obama administration- has operated in accordance with UNCLOS III with the use of innocent passage, proper communications, and respect for nations' territorial waters.^[13]

United States Pacific Fleet vessels spent a combined total of 700 days in the South China Sea during 2015 alone.^[14] This includes vessels assigned toCarrier Strike Group 5, which included theUSS George Washington (CVN-73) until the summer of 2015, at which point theUSSRonald Reagan (CVN-76) took its place in the homeport ofYokosuka, Japan after a hull swap inSan Diego, CA.^[15][16]

On July 12, 2016, theHague'sInternational Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled in thePermanent Court of Arbitration that thePeople's Republic of China's claims were excessive and violated theRepublic of Philippines' sovereignty when they.^[17]

The Philippines filed the case on 22 January 2013^[18] with a strong backing from PresidentBenigno Aquino.^[19] Although the Obama administration did not overtly back the Philippines in the case,President Obama andSecretary John Kerry did publicly express support for the right of sovereign nations to follow international law and norms and to dispute disagreements in the legal and appropriate forums, although emphasizing that since the US is not a claimant they are a neutral party.^[20] China declared that it did not recognize the jurisdiction of the tribunal prior to proceedings,^[21] and requested the Philippines to do the same. Meanwhile, the Obama administration continued to urge all nations to follow international law and abide by the ruling for the remainder of Obama's presidency.

Claimants to the South China Sea island disputes include Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Although the US is neutral in the disputes, the American military participates in training exercises with each claimant. During the 2016 Arbitration ruling, theChinese Navy's CNSChangdao and divers participated inRIMPAC 16. ExerciseCARAT andBalikatan are among several annual exercises involving these same nations.

• 
  From top left, the guided missile destroyerUSS John S. McCain (DDG-56); the Philippine frigatesBRP Gregorio del Pilar (FF-15) andBRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16); and the amphibious dock landing shipUSS Ashland (LSD-48) while in formation duringCARAT Philippines 2014.
• 
  The Indonesian navy corvette KRIJohn Lie (358) lines up for a combined gunnery exercise behind the U.S. Navy littoral combat shipUSS Fort Worth during the underway phase ofCARAT Indonesia 2015.
• 
  USNSSalvor operates with the CNSChangdao in a submarine rescue and dive/salvage exercise duringExercise RIMPAC 16.

• Spratly Islands dispute

• Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration
• United States Navy in the 21st century
• Military history of the Pacific Ocean
• History of the South China Sea

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