; Whereas becoming a party to the treaty would codify the current position of the United States, which recognizes the provisions within the UNCLOS as customary international law; Whereas becoming a party to the treaty would give the United States standing to participate in discussions relating to the treaty and thereby improve the ability of the United States to intervene as a full party to disputes relating to navigational rights and to defend United States interpretations of the treaty’s provisions, including those relating to whether coastal States have a right under the UNCLOS to regulate foreign military activities in their EEZs; Whereas becoming a party to the treaty would allow the United States to be a member of the International Seabed Authority and thereby participate directly in setting and voting on the policies organizing and controlling mineral-related activities in the international seabed area as global demand for critical minerals increases; Whereas more than 97 percent of the global internet traffic relies on infrastructure located on the international seabed compared to space-based infrastructure; Whereas lack of full-party membership to UNCLOS limits the access and influence of the United States to critical territorial dispute management, including matters involving pursuit and competition of extended outer continental shelf submissions, facilitated primarily by article 76, which represents the main tool assisting sovereign authority delimitation agreements; Whereas relying on customary international norms to defend United States interests in those issues is not sufficient, because customary international law is not universally accepted and is subject to change over time based on State practice; Whereas relying on other countries to assert claims on behalf of the United States at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague is woefully insufficient to defend and uphold United States sovereign rights and interests