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INSIGHTS SUBSEA DEFENSE
Copyright RomanenkoAlexey/AdobeStock
WHEN THE
SHOOTING STOPS:
BLACK SEA MINE CLEARANCE
WILL FEATURE ADVANCED
TECH, CONOPS
By David Strachan, Senior Analyst, Strikepod Systems ince the beginning of the war in Ukraine, mine warfare mines have been the weapon of choice for both sides, the has played a signi? cant role in both Ukrainian and Rus- true nature and extent of mining remains largely unknown. sian naval operations, underscoring how a cheap and We do know that numerous drifting contact mines have been
S largely unsophisticated underwater weapon can disrupt observed and neutralized in the western Black Sea, and it is an adversary’s operational and strategic plans. When the war believed that these are moored contact mines that have bro- began, a critical strategic objective for Ukraine was prevent- ken loose from their moorings during storms or heavy seas. ing a Russian amphibious landing in the northwestern Black They now pose a hazard to all maritime traf? c, regardless of
Sea, which would not only have ceded control of Odessa, but national origin, prompting Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania to enabled Russia to open up a second front. By all indications form a joint mine countermeasures (MCM) task force to help
Ukraine was able to achieve this objective by laying mines in mitigate the mine threat.
the approaches to Odessa, while Russia is alleged to have laid As the war grinds on, sea mines will continue to pose a threat mines to further its own strategic objective of denying Ukraine to Black Sea maritime operations, but the war will end - even- access to the sea, threatening Ukrainian grain exports, and by tually, and this threat will need to be fully neutralized to en- extension the global food supply. sure safe passage not only for commercial and naval vessels,
Although reports indicate that Soviet-era moored contact but for the scores of ? shing and recreational vessels operating 8 March/April 2024
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