Secretaries Clinton and Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey testified on the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty, an international convention that sets rules for under- and over-sea travel and commerce. The U.S. is the only major country that has not ratified the treaty. The witnesses argued in favor in favor of the U.S. signing the agreement for reasons that included national security, job creation, oil exploration, and countering China’s influence in Asia. Senators who argued against the treaty cited loss of sovereignty, imposition of an international tax, and the allowance of foreign nations to regulate U.S. energy emissions as the basis for their disapproval. Secretary Clinton in her opening statement said that opposition to the treaty is based on “ideology and mythology.”