USNI Proceedings
Monthly US Naval Institute journal; America's premier independent forum for naval strategy.
Last refreshed: 4 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can ageing US minesweeping capability unlock the path to Kharg Island before the window closes?
Latest on USNI Proceedings
- What did USNI Proceedings publish about the Strait of Hormuz?
- Simultaneous articles on US amphibious options at Hormuz and a mine countermeasures crisis, highlighting atrophied US minesweeping capability.Source: Background
- What is USNI Proceedings?
- The monthly journal of the US Naval Institute, published since 1874. It is the principal independent forum for US naval officers to debate strategy outside formal channels.Source: Background
- Why is US mine clearance a problem in the Iran war?
- Iran has mined Kharg Island's approaches since at least 26 March. USNI Proceedings and War on the Rocks both assessed US minesweeping as atrophied and extremely limited.Source: Background
- Is USNI Proceedings independent from the Pentagon?
- Yes. The Naval Institute is a private non-profit. Proceedings can publish analysis contradicting official doctrine without Pentagon clearance or approval.Source: Background
Background
USNI Proceedings stepped into the centre of strategic debate when it published two simultaneous articles on Hormuz amphibious options and the US mine countermeasures crisis as Operation Epic Fury entered its eighth week. The twin pieces crystallised an operational dilemma: USS Tripoli and USS Boxer bring 4,700 Marines to the region, but Iran's mining of Kharg Island's approaches since at least 26 March may make an assault impossible without capabilities the US no longer holds.
Published by the US Naval Institute since 1874, Proceedings is the oldest continuously published US military journal and the principal forum for officers to debate doctrine outside formal channels. Its independence from the Pentagon means it surfaces uncomfortable truths; the mine countermeasures article drew on War on the Rocks analysis describing US clearance capability as "atrophied and extremely limited."
The articles arrived at a moment when the Hormuz question shapes the conflict's trajectory. If mines block the path to Kharg, the amphibious groups' strategic logic falters and the US faces a choice between a costly minesweeping campaign and a climb-down. Proceedings giving voice to that assessment increases pressure on planners to resolve the capability gap before the window closes.
