Statesaccordgreatimportance totheirsealinesofcommunication andmarine industries andconsequently willgotogreatlengths toprotect them,both politically andifnecessary militarily. Toothers, theseasoftenrepresent a challenging opportunity forthefulfilment ofsomeoftheirbasicaspirations for economic advancement. Tomany,theseascanalsorepresent apotential,source of threattotheirnational security andterritorial integrity. 311.Intothispicture, theadventoftheConvention ontheLawoftheSeahas introduced aseriesofmajorandinterconnected newelements. Largeareasofwhat havebeenpartsofthehighseaswillnowbecomesubject tothespecific legal regimeoftheexclusive economic zoneinwhichcoastal Stateswillenjoyfull economic rightswhilerecognizing important freedoms ofthehighseas. The provision bywhichcoastal States mayextendtheirterritorial seauptoabreadth of12miles; thenewconcept of"transit passage'l; theintroduction of "archipelagic waters"; thedefiniticnof 11thecontinental shelf";theprovisions of theConvention concerning thedevelopment ofthesea-bed andoceanfloorand subsoil thereof, beyondthelimitsofnational jurisdiction -allthesearenew I ...A/40/535 English Page88 factors. Although someoftheseaspects havenotyetreceived acceptance byall States, without doubttheimplementation oftheConvention ontheLawoftheSea willhavefar-reaching effects ontheinternational conduct ofmaritime affairs. 312.Inaddition tothese fac~ors andofparticular relevance tothepresent study, thereistheuseoftheseasbythenaviesoftheworld. Themajority ofthe world's Statespossess navalforces, albeitofwidelydiffering capabilities. The existence ofsuchforcesintheexercise ofsovereign rightsislegitimate and recognized bytheGroup; however, therearesometimes conflicts ofinterest between navalactivities andnon-military usesofthesea,justasthereareconflicts between latentsecurity threats andthefreedom ofnavigation. Navalactivities shouldtakeaccount, interalia,ofthelegitimate interests ofcoastal States, and itisimportant thatsuchactivities should becompatible withtheprovisions of theConvention ontheLawoftheSea. 313.Navalpresence andactivities arenotnew,butrecentyearshavewitnessed several fundamental technological developments whichhavehadmajoreffects onthe international maritime situation~ Themostimportant Ofthesechanges, ina technical sense,hasbeenthedevelopment ofnuclear energy. Initsusesforship propulsion, particularly insubmarines, andfornuclear warheads ithasmultiplied thecapabilities ofnavalvessels andtheweapons theycarry. Inspecific form, thesearerepresented bythenuclear-armed ICBMsdeployed onboardthe nuclear-powered submarines offiveStates. Asstatedearlier inthisreport, some 40percentofthecombined UnitedStates andSovietpotential totalsofstrategic missiles aresea-borne. Together withthestrategic nuclear warheads distributed amongthenaviesoftheotherthreenuclear-weapon States, asignificant proportion oftheworld's strategic nuclear capability isatsea,byfarthelargest partof itonboardUnitedStates andSoviet SSBNs. 314.Thethreattointernational security represented bytheseweapons, andthe continuing development ofimproved SLBMswithenhanced guidance andgreater accuracy, makeevenmoreurgenttheneedforsuccessful bilateral andmultilateral negotiations leading toeffective measureS ofnuclear disarmament. 315.Inaddition tostrategic nuclear forces, therearelargenumbers oftactical nuclear weapons atsea.Thisfact,coupled withever-diminishing warning time within Whichaprospective targetmustreact,imparts aparticularly dangerous dimension tothearmsraceatsea.Whereas strategic missiles arecarried by submarines ofspecific design andpurpose, tactical nuclear weapons maybeonboard awidevariety ofships,submarines, aircraft orhelicopters ofthenaviesofthe fivenuclear-weapon States. Furthermore, inthenearfuturethesituation willbe mademorecomplex bythearrival inoperational service ofversatile, comparatively inexpensive, highlyaccurate, sea-launched cruisemissiles. Thesemissiles, able tocarryeitherconventional ornuclear warneads foruseagainst navalorshore targets, willgreatly complicate thedifficulties ofverification andtherefore
**Analysis**
The text discusses the importance of seas and oceans, including the protection of marine industries, the implications of the Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the presence of naval forces and weapons. It highlights the challenges and complexities surrounding the use of seas, including conflicts of interest and security threats. The text also touches on the development of technology, particularly nuclear energy, and its impact on international security.

**Category**
Transport and communication, International relations