Naval Mine Warfare Operational and Technical Challenges for Naval Forces (2001) / Chapter Skim
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3. U.S. Naval Mines and Mining
3. U.S. Naval Mines and Mining
Pages 56-69
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From page 56... ...
CURRENT STATUS OF U.S. MINING CAPABILITIES A naval minefield is a significant physical and psychological threat that can cause attrition to enemy ships and submarines or limit ship movements by forcing delays and diversions because of perceptions and fears, both real and exaggerated.2 Any suspected minefield must be treated as a serious danger, thereby forcing a ship's commander to make decisions with incomplete information of the true threat, little information on the relative merit of the available choices, and dire consequences if a wrong choice is made.
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From page 57... ...
Naval Mine Warfare Plan acknowledges that the sea mine remains "an exceptionally powerful and cost effective tactical weapon that deserves a prominent position within any naval arsenal" (p.
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From page 58... ...
U.S. Naval Mine Warfare Plan, 4th Edition, Programs for the New Millennium, Department of the Navy, Washington, D.C., January.
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From page 59... ...
International Law Governing Naval Mine Warfare Although some appear to have the impression that international law severely limits the applicability of mining, it is generally agreed that international rules for mining in peacetime, or during a cnsis, indicate the following:6 . Nations can lay armed or controlled mines in their own internal waters at any time without notification to others, and in archipelagic waters and territorial seas during peacetime, with notification of minefield location, to meet temporary "national security purposes." · Nations cannot lay armed mines in international straits or archipelagic sea lanes during peacetime.
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From page 60... ...
Naval Mine Warfare Plan, the present funding for sea mines is essentially limited to maintaining the Quickstrike family, an air-dropped bottom mine with only shallow-depth capabilities. There are no funded plans to provide a standoff delivery capability for Quickstrike-type mines such as by developing a mine version of the joint direct attack munition (JDAM)
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From page 61... ...
Unlike mine countermeasures, which the Navy has employed as recently as the Gulf War, significant mining has not been attempted since the mining of Haiphong and other North Vietnamese harbors in 1972. Although naval mining proved extremely effective in World War II, its use has been held in low regard by the U.S.
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From page 62... ...
mining capability should be susta~ned.9 Scenarios The single common feature of scenarios involving the use of sea mines is that there are maritime assets (either surface ships or submannes) to be targeted.
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From page 63... ...
The principles of maneuver warfare hinge on the ability to understand the situation and to shape the battlespace by putting the enemy in a restricted, disadvantageous position faster than he can react. Naval mines can provide such a capability to a joint force commander faced with a maritime threat by either creating restricted areas or by slowing the enemy down.
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From page 64... ...
WHAT TYPES OF MINING CAPABILITIES ARE REQUIRED? Possible Mining Missions If the United States is to revitalize its naval mining capabilities, the character of the future mines must be responsive to a range of potential military applications and at the same time must be affordable.
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From page 65... ...
· Vertically mobile warheads, propelled by simplified torpedoes or rocket motors or even buoyancy, can greatly enhance the depth coverage of mines with simple anchoring devices when planted in medium-depth waters. · A number of less-than-lethal weapons are currently under development for land warfare, and analogous systems could be adapted to sea mines.
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From page 66... ...
The Navy program and budget process must provide consistent funding support, rather than the "sustenance-or-starvation" funding traditional in mining programs. Funding for developing and deploying proper mining capability is not likely to survive without continued attention from the highest levels of the Navy.
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From page 67... ...
The Littoral Sea Mine program was recently canceled and replaced by an unfunded SUBSTRIKE mine program that would be limited to submarine targets. The recommended study should consider joint warfighting needs with jointly agreed concepts of operation and recommended rules of engagement for promulgation by the National Command Authority.
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From page 68... ...
Additional algorithm development for, and procurement of, the Mk 71 target detection device would permit engagement of such targets. · The CNO should ensure that sea mine and valid mining planning tools, including provision for joint mining and minefield control operations, are added to battle group warfare planning capability, and that battle group individual and unit training include realistic exercises that use mining as an extension of battle group capability.
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From page 69... ...
U.S. NAVAL MINES AND MINING 69 manager with broad policy and cross-platform responsibilities.
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