Certain South American leaders have expressed concern about the recent reestablishment of the U.S. Navy’s Fourth Fleet. Some have said they perceive the Fourth Fleet to be a “threat” to the countries of South America.  It has even been suggested that the fleet’s reestablishment was somehow related to Brazil’s recent offshore oil discoveries.  Let me be clear: This is not the case.

The reestablishment of the U.S, Fourth Fleet reflects the commitment of the United States to work with our partner nations in the region to respond to natural disasters, provide humanitarian relief, participate in counternarcotics operations, and engage in traditional joint exercises with regional partners, including Brazil.  (These joint exercises include the UNITAS exercise, which the United States and other Western Hemisphere nations have conducted annually for almost fifty years.  Brazil hosted the UNITAS exercise last May, with the participation of the United States, Argentina, and Uruguay.)   And as the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Admiral James Stavridis, said when he visited Brazil in May, “The United States will emphatically respect the territorial and the exclusive economic zones of the nations of the world. We always have, and we always will.”

Admiral Stavridis also emphasized that the Fourth Fleet “is not an offensive force in any way.”  Indeed, the Fleet is an administrative unit to which there will be no ships permanently assigned.  It will consist of a planning staff of about 120 people based in Florida. Reports that the aircraft carrier USS George Washington would be part of the Fourth Fleet are erroneous.  That ship is assigned to the U.S. Seventh Fleet and sailed through South American waters to participate in the UNITAS exercises on its way to its new base in Yokosuka, Japan.  

Those who understand naval operations know that the Fourth Fleet is designed to enhance, not threaten, regional security.  As the Brazilian Navy commander, Admiral Julio de Moura Neto, noted in a recent published interview, “The United States has given every assurance that they will respect every norm of the Law of the Sea, which was created under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.  And that involves exclusive economic zones, where coastal nations have the exclusive right to explore…resources of the sea, soil and subsoil.  The United States has expressed…respect for this convention.”

Given that 90 percent of the world’s commerce crosses the oceans, world prosperity and security depend upon the free use of the seas.  The reestablishment of the U.S.  Fourth Fleet should be understood in this context, as the U.S. works cooperatively with our partners in the region in support of our common maritime interests.