The U.S. Navy may face a complex and risky operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz should Iran follow through on threats to mine the vital waterway. Experts suggest the Navy’s mine-clearing capabilities have been historically underfunded and overshadowed by other weapons systems.

Iranian Threats and U.S. Response

Iran has threatened to mine the Strait of Hormuz amidst ongoing conflicts with the United States and Israel, potentially having already placed devices in the narrow shipping lane. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the U.S. was taking steps to reopen the Strait, but details of those measures were not disclosed.

The Historical Threat of Sea Mines

Sea mines pose a significant threat to both commercial vessels and warships traversing the Strait of Hormuz. Historically, sea mines have caused more damage to U.S. Navy vessels than all other weapons combined since World War II. Three U.S. warships have been damaged by mines in the Persian Gulf since 1988, resulting in injuries to dozens of sailors.

Limited Funding for Mine Warfare

Despite the clear danger, maritime security expert Scott C. Truver notes that mine warfare – encompassing both deployment and clearance – receives minimal attention and funding from the Navy. Funding for mine warfare accounts for “less than 1% of the Navy’s total budget,” leading some to call it a “stepchild of the U.S. Navy.”

Littoral Combat Ships and Uncrewed Systems

The Navy is currently retiring older mine-hunting ships and investing in uncrewed systems for this mission. Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, explains that Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are intended to “stand clear of the minefields and then allow their unmanned systems and helicopters to do the locating and mine neutralization.”

However, a Government Accountability Office report highlighted “several significant challenges” with the LCS, including self-defense capabilities and equipment failure rates. Recent exercises involving Independence-class LCS ships, the USS Santa Barbara and USS Tulsa, were reportedly canceled.

Concerns Over Readiness and International Support

Emma Salisbury, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, expressed bafflement that the Navy didn’t have mine-clearing resources pre-positioned in the Middle East. She emphasized that a mine countermeasures capability “not in theater is not particularly helpful.”

Former President Trump has called on NATO allies to provide ships to secure the Strait, and Secretary Hegseth criticized other nations for not contributing more. However, Salisbury notes that many European nations are better equipped for mine clearance than the U.S., and the U.S. has historically relied on them for this capability, as seen in the Gulf and Iraq Wars.

Testing and Operational Effectiveness

The new mine hunting and clearing system, centered around the LCS, remains largely unproven. A Pentagon report released in March revealed that the Navy conducted no operational testing of the Independence-variant LCS with the mine countermeasures package in fiscal year 2025. The report stated that operational effectiveness “cannot determine operational effectiveness … due to insufficient performance data.”

Salisbury, a critic of the LCS, questions whether the technology can operate reliably “over and over at the tempo that would be needed.” Retired Adm. James Foggo, dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy, stresses that mines are an “asymmetric weapon” and a “poor man’s tool” used to pressure larger nations.

Challenges and Timeline for Clearance

Mine clearing is described as a “dirty and dangerous job” that is also time-consuming, potentially requiring hours to clear a single device. Ideally, mine clearance would begin after hostilities with Iran end, but even then, conditions would be risky, mirroring the challenges faced in the 1980s. Foggo estimates that establishing a secure passage through the Strait, including combat air patrols and destroyer escorts, could take a month.