The Navy Needs to Reenergize Mine Warfare Training—Yet Again
By Lieutenant Matthew Henricks, U.S. Navy
September 2019
War is a come-as-you-are business and because of a lack of training focus the U.S. Navy is not ready for a war that involves mines. Mine warfare has a long and tumultuous history in the U.S. Navy. From the early days of the American Revolution, when mines were regarded as “cheap contrivances,†to the modern world when less than one percent of the budget goes to mine warfare, this warfare area has often been neglected.1 This lack of interest has affected everything from technology development to process improvement.
Modern naval training, in general, views mines as an inconvenience that can be quickly overcome with minimal impact on operational planning. Meanwhile, mines have historically cost the Navy weeks for clearance and completely thwarted the best-laid plans. In many cases, this could have been prevented if there was more of a force-wide effort and focused training. The most useful mine training will ensure participation and integration of assets at all levels, with a focus on an ever-changing tactical landscape during war and significant plan alterations based on a continually fluctuating enemy order of battle. To this end, there are two significant moments worth examining—the unsuccessful amphibious assault on Wonsan during the Korean War and the aborted amphibious assault on Kuwait, nearly 50 years later.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2019/september/navy-needs-reenergize-mine-warfare-training-yet-again
