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2026-03-17 Southeast Asia

U.S. Navy Minesweepers Assigned To Middle East Have Been Moved To Pacific (Updated)

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Posted by Skidmark 2026-03-17 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1799 views ] Top

1 The Strait of Malacca is the OTHER critical oil chokepoint for China.
Close that with mines and the Chinese are really screwed.
Do it, Trump, do it!
Regime change in Teheran? We're on a roll, add Beijing to the list! Who's next? Havana!

Posted by Omans Slath8956 2026-03-17 01:12|| 2026-03-17 01:12|| Front Page Top

2 Havana before Beijing, I imagine. China has a way to go before they reach the tipping point.

Posted by trailing wife 2026-03-17 02:58|| 2026-03-17 02:58|| Front Page Top

3 Conventional mines are not an issue as long as Iranian freighters are allowed to transit Hormuz. If you seize their freighters, they have little to lose.

Posted by Super Hose 2026-03-17 06:01|| 2026-03-17 06:01|| Front Page Top

4 minesweepers aren't generally minelayers

Posted by Anguth Sinatra5931 2026-03-17 08:24|| 2026-03-17 08:24|| Front Page Top

5 Why the decision was made to then send the USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara thousands of miles to the east is unknown.
"I was told to ask for Fat Leonard."

Posted by ed in texas 2026-03-17 08:41|| 2026-03-17 08:41|| Front Page Top

6 Are we sure we have accounted for ALL of the Iranian Navy or there surface or subs still left that can lay mines in the choke points between the Pacific and Indian oceans?

Posted by Chantry 2026-03-17 13:34|| 2026-03-17 13:34|| Front Page Top

7 Perhaps the LCS ships, while having a great flight deck for helicopter-led mine-sweeping ops, as just too weakly armed and armored for duties that put them in relative proximity to Iranian drones, suicide/autonomous boats, and anti-ship missiles?

Posted by NoMoreBS 2026-03-17 14:05|| 2026-03-17 14:05|| Front Page Top

8 Something to do with those hundreds of Chinese "fishing" boats that are congregating in the Straits of Taiwan?

Posted by Mercutio 2026-03-17 17:48|| 2026-03-17 17:48|| Front Page Top

23:35 trailing wife
23:22 Grom the Affective
21:50 Super Hose
21:41 Silentbrick
20:24 trailing wife
20:21 Anguper Hupomosing9418
19:28 SteveS
19:00 NN2N1
18:33 49 Pan
18:32 Frank G
18:29 Frank G
18:18 Clem+Elmish4239
18:17 Woozle Glaper2749
18:11 Frank G
18:00 Frank G
18:00 Lord Garth
17:58 swksvolFF
17:48 Mercutio
17:34 Lord Garth
16:55 Vinegar+Spolusing6485
16:34 Grom the Affective
16:27 NoMoreBS
16:24 Grom the Affective
16:14 trailing wife
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