U.S. Media: How Will the U.S. Military Respond to Iran's "Mines Warfare"?

According to a report by Reference News on March 23, the U.S. military has several capabilities to counter mine warfare in the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by the U.S. Defense News Weekly website on March 16.

According to a previous report from the U.S. Navy Intelligence Agency, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy views mines as a key pillar of its military strategy. It has been reported that they have begun laying mines in this maritime passage of the Strait of Hormuz. According to a congressional report released on the 11th, Iran is estimated to possess approximately 6,000 mines.

Below are various mine countermeasure technologies available in the U.S. Navy's arsenal.

Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures Ship

The U.S. Navy currently has four Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships stationed in Sasebo, Japan, which can be forward deployed to the Middle East to support Operation Epic Fury if necessary.

These mine countermeasures ships use sonar and remotely operated vehicles to identify mines beneath the surface. They were used during the Gulf War to destroy several mines off the coast of Kuwait.

The Avenger-class ships utilize acoustic devices to emit noise to trigger acoustic mines or use electromagnetic tools to create electromagnetic fields to induce magnetic mines to explode, effectively destroying the mines. They also tow cables and cutters behind the ship to intercept and sever the mooring lines of tethered mines. Once the mooring line is cut, the mine will float to the surface and be destroyed.

Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship

The U.S. Navy has been seeking to replace its aging mine countermeasures ships in Bahrain with Independence-class littoral combat ships specifically equipped with mine countermeasure mission packages.

The USS Canberra is the first littoral combat ship equipped with a mine countermeasure mission package, arriving in the Middle East on May 22, 2025. Soon after, two more littoral combat ships equipped with mine countermeasure mission packages, USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa, will join. All three ships are homeported in Bahrain.

The mine countermeasure mission package is specifically designed for use on the Independence-class littoral combat ships. The littoral combat ships do not have the same unique hull structure as the less detectable mine countermeasures ships, so they can only operate outside of mine threat areas.

Littoral combat ships use unmanned surface and underwater vehicles to enter areas where mines have been laid to detect and destroy them. These unmanned vehicles utilize the AN/AQS-20 mine hunting sonar system, which accurately detects the locations of bottom mines and tethered mines using sensors while being towed underwater.

There are also unmanned sensing mine countermeasure systems that provide the unmanned surface vehicles on the littoral combat ships with the capability to clear or detonate mines by emitting magnetic fields through magnetic mine countermeasure cables or towed acoustic devices.

Mine Countermeasure Aircraft

The mine countermeasure mission package for the Independence-class littoral combat ships includes the aviation capabilities of the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, which can take off from the littoral combat ships to assist in mine hunting and sweeping missions.

This helicopter is equipped with the AN/AES-1 airborne laser mine detection system for detecting floating mines and near-surface tethered mines, as well as the AN/ASQ-235 airborne mine neutralization system that can deploy disposable unmanned underwater vehicles to intercept and destroy mines.

Before the mine countermeasure mission package was activated, the Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter was the U.S. Navy's primary mine countermeasure aircraft, which was used during the Gulf War to help destroy mines and clear shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf. (Translated by Cao Weiguo)