The USS Gabrielle Giffords, a Littoral Combat Ship, sails near Singapore in August 2024. Several LCSes are being used as minesweepers, replacing the aging Avenger class. (Shutterstock/DLeng)

Can the Littoral Combat Ship Work as a Minesweeper?

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Several Littoral Combat Ships have been equipped with the “Mine Countermeasures Mission Package,” but no upgrade can remove the LCS’ key point of vulnerability to naval mines: its metal hull.

The Strait of Hormuz crisis has exposed a major weakness in the US Navy: a lack of dedicated minesweepers. Without dedicated systems in place, most of which have been retired, the US has relied upon replacements like the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and naval drones. But these replacements remain unproven—suggesting that the US’ decades-long transition away from dedicated mine warfare ships has left the United States vulnerable to situations like the one currently playing out in Hormuz. 

The Asymmetric Advantages of Mine Laying

Iran has already laid an estimated 6,000 naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, using IRGC “fast boats” to rapidly seed the narrow body of........

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