Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, issued a statement reiterating long-standing Coast Guard support for joining the Convention on the Law of the Sea. “Becoming a party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea would greatly enhance our global position in maritime affairs. Because of our maritime security and law enforcement missions, the Coast Guard has long been a proponent of achieving a comprehensive and stable regime with respect to traditional uses of the oceans. The convention greatly enhances our ability to protect the American public as well as our efforts to protect and manage fishery resources and to protect the marine environment.