According to the US military media website in 1945, the future war in the Taiwan Strait will be multi-field and multi-level. The most easily overlooked here is the war from the seabed. Of course, it does not refer to submarine warfare . Although in the Indo-Pacific, China and the United States have a large number of submarines patrolling these waters every day, what is more troublesome than these submarines is the mines from the sea. They can explode close to each other without the warship almost unaware. You should know that China may have as many as 100,000 mines. Once China deploys a large number of mines in the Taiwan Strait, they will not know where it is safe for the US fleet that comes to support it, or they will not know where to park the warships to avoid touching the mines.
During the first Gulf War , Iraqi deployed limited mines in Persian Gulf , which caused great trouble to US warships. The Italian sinking mine, which cost only $20,000, exploded the US$1 billion Ticonderoga-class Princeton missile cruiser. The ship was very unlucky to trigger two mines in succession. Not only that, a Soviet-made anchor thunder cost only US$1,500 injured the US amphibious assault ship "Tripoli", forcing the US military to abandon its amphibious assault plan. Finally, a multinational force led by the United States formed a minesweeping force composed of 30 ships, , which took 6 months to clear more than 1,200 mines. Before the armistice, many national forces only cleared one passage, and after the armistice, most of the mines were handed over to Iraq for treatment.
US media said that through Gulf War , China has noticed the vulnerability of the US Navy to mines, which are also part of the anti-intervention/regional denial (A2/AD) strategy. In the Taiwan Strait conflict that may break out in the future, China may deploy more and more advanced mines. It is understood that China has more than 30 types of mines, including touch mines, magnetic induction mines, sound mines, water pressure mines, , mixed reactive mines, remote-controlled mines, rocket upward mines, self-navigation mines, etc. Some of these mines can be deployed within the port waterway, some are suitable for waters near the port, and some can be deployed in deep waters.
US media believes that from a technical point of view, the Chinese mine technology that needs to be focused on is, ① Smart mines can more accurately select important targets to strike, such as minesweeper , submarines, large merchant ships, etc., and its anti- minesweeper performance is stronger than mines with "delay/counting" function. For example, the bottom of EM53 can sense mines, which can be remotely controlled to allow its own ships to pass safely, and then activate again to prevent enemy ships from passing. It is very suitable for defense operations, protecting its own targets, and of course it is also suitable for offensive mine laying. ② Mine camouflage technology, mainly used for anti-sweeping mines, sonar , and new mine detection technologies such as lasers and ultrasonics. ③ Anti-mine sweeping technology, specially used to destroy mine sweeping sonar, destroy expensive remote-control mine sweeping equipment, etc., to improve the survival ability of mines. ④ Long-range precision mine laying technology, especially long-distance mine laying in the air and underwater, is used to supplement mine laying and offensive mine laying.
US media said that in 2018, the PLA Navy used 60 minecraft boats and minesweepers to conduct the mine war exercise between more than islands in the South China Sea. In addition, since 2021, the H-6J bomber has also begun aerial mine laying exercises. The mines are both cheap and easy to put into place, and can also be easily hidden and have sufficient destructive power. In this regard, the US military did not regard minesweeping as a priority training subject.
US media said that if the war in the Taiwan Strait broke out, the main areas where the PLA mines were laid will likely lay mines near the north-south entrance of Taiwan Strait, that is, the west and north of Taiwan Island . does not include ports and some shallow water areas. Setting up minefields in these areas can prevent Taiwan and US naval ships from rushing into attacks on island landing forces.Geographically, the water depths of these two places are shallower, unlike the island's southern and eastern coastal depths reaching 2,000 meters. Generally, moored mines and sinking mines are deployed in waters with depths less than 200 meters. In addition, the rapid flow from the southern part of the island to the east also makes these places particularly unsuitable for mine laying out. In addition, the People's Liberation Army can also deploy mines in the direction of Japan to cut off possible support.
US media said that for decades, the United States has been cooperating with Japan to carry out the annual mine exercise. In 2021, the navies of the two countries conducted a simulated drill to clear the mines laid by the People's Liberation Army. If the war in the Taiwan Strait breaks out and the US military determines support, the United States is likely to pass the summit to negotiate according to Article 4 of the Japanese-US Security Treaty, , and require Japan to clear the mines around the Taiwan Strait. In addition, US Navy officer Victor Duno said that the US Navy should set up mines on its own to fight a mine war with China. Duno believes that if the United States intervenes in the Taiwan Strait War, the U.S. military can lay offensive mines on some important waterways along China's coastal areas to hinder commercial and military transportation.
Some US military experts said that in fact, with the advantage of geographical advantages, the US military and its allies could not confront the People's Liberation Army in terms of mine warfare at all. First, mines were laid out in the Taiwan Strait area, and most of the minefields in were within the range of the People's Liberation Army's long-range fire strike. Therefore, if the United States and Japan want to clear mines, the People's Liberation Army can focus on attacking the opponent's minesweepers, support ships and minesweepers, which can effectively interfere with and destroy enemy minesweepers. In addition, even if the PLA does not have a comprehensive air advantage, it can concentrate missiles, , aircraft and speedboats to conduct short-term assaults on the enemy's operations in the minesweeping area. On the one hand, it can eliminate the enemy's mine-sweeping forces, and on the other hand, it can also cover and replenish mine-burning operations.
The most important thing is that according to the US media, China may have 100,000 mines. Once a conflict breaks out, with the number of mines and its advantage in geographical location, the PLA can quickly deploy numerous minefields around the Taiwan Strait. It is very likely that when the PLA mines are laid, the US support fleet has not yet completed the assembly of troops. Even if the US military's support fleet arrived around the Taiwan Strait in advance, the small-scale deployment of mines can maintain the deterrence of the minefield and achieve the purpose of blockade, making it impossible for the US military to act as it pleases.
Although mines are unlikely to dominate a conflict like submarines, missiles, fighter and bomber . However, it is certain that compared to other weapons, mines are the most overlooked aspect of war and the most unexpected weapon. Because mines are cheap and easy to use, and can also play a key role in hindering, mines are also a secret weapon that affects the process of conflict.
