U.S. Navy Capabilities and Readiness

The Christian Science Monitor reports that as the U.S. wages war with Iran and weighs how to reopen the mined‑threatened Strait of Hormuz, the Navy is confronting a self‑inflicted weakness: decades of underinvestment in mine countermeasures. The article details how, after the 1990 Gulf War and through the counterinsurgency era, naval leaders deprioritized minesweeping, culminating in the 2006 dismantling of the Navy’s dedicated Mine Warfare Command and a sharp drawdown in specialized ships and helicopters once considered essential to keeping sea lanes open. A 2025 Center for Maritime Strategy study cited in the piece calls the current state of U.S. minesweeping 'grim,' echoing warnings from officers dating back to the Korean War, where mines caused 70% of U.S. Navy casualties. Aware of this exploitable gap, U.S. Central Command says it has already destroyed 16 Iranian mine‑laying vessels and multiple mine‑storage bunkers, even as officials admit they don’t know how many mines, if any, are actually in the Strait and outside analysts argue Tehran would likely advertise mine‑laying online if it had already happened. The story underscores that with allies still reluctant to send escorts and Marines moving toward the region, any Trump decision to clear and secure the Strait will run headlong into a capability Washington let atrophy while it poured money into other high‑tech weapons.