Hormuz mines reopen the MCM capability question
On 11 April, US Central Command began operations to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo: US Central Command)
The US-led mine clearance mission in the Strait of Hormuz is a reminder of the long-overdue reckoning among Western navies. With ageing fleets and uncrewed systems still maturing, the gap between rhetoric and investment is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
On 11 April 2026, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that USS Frank E. Peterson (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) had transited the Strait of Hormuz to begin setting the conditions for a mine clearance operation – one of the most consequential maritime clearance missions since the 1991 Gulf War. The mines were laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The waterway through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil transits was, in practical terms, closed.
What the announcement did not say was how long clearance would take or how many assets would be needed.
According to
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