5 Ways the U.S. Navy Could Become Totally Obsolete

Thanks to America’s global network of interests and alliances, the Navy’s area of responsibility is for all intents and purposes the entire planet, with very few bodies of water off limits. From the Black Sea to the Yellow Sea, the Navy is expected to show the flag—or fight—around the world.

Such a vast area of responsibility also means that the U.S. Navy has to be able to prevail against an equally vast array of threats. From the low-tech speedboats and mines of the Iranian Navy to the high-tech antiship ballistic missiles of the People’s Republic of China, the Navy must be prepared to deal with them all. Here’s a roundup of five of the greatest threats.

Mines

One of the most vexing threats to the U.S. Navy is decidedly low-end: sea mines. First invented in the fourteenth century by a Chinese artillery officer, sea mines occupy a peculiar place on the threat spectrum: easy to ignore in peacetime, but quickly one of the most pressing for an expeditionary navy in wartime.

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In the last thirty years several American ships have been struck by mines, including the frigate Samuel B. Roberts, guided missile cruiser Princeton and the amphibious assault ship Tripoli. All in all, several billion dollars’ worth of combat ships sidelined by what was probably no more than half a million—if that—in sea mines.

READ:What a War Between America and Iran Would Look Like[4]

America’s potential adversaries maintain a robust mine inventory. China is estimated to have [5] from fifty thousand to one hundred thousand mines of all types, and Iran is estimated to have “several thousand [6].” Despite its aversion to dealing with them, in any future conflict the U.S. Navy will almost certainly have to go to where the mines are.