Navy Mine Warfare: Budget Realignment Can Help Improve Countermine Capabilities.
Abstract
Operation Desert Storm highlighted major weaknesses in the Navy's capability to detect and disarm enemy mines. The Navy possessed only a very limited capability at that time to conduct mine countermeasures at various water depths. In addition, two Navy warships, the U.S.S. Princeton and the U.S.S. Thpoli, both struck Thaqi mines in open waters in the Persian Gulf. The combined damage to the two ships, which totaled about $21.6 million, was caused by two mines-one estimated to cost $10,000 and the other about $1,500. The Navy has since made a number of organizational changes and initiated several research and development projects to address the weaknesses in its mine countermeasures program. At the request of the Chairman, Subcommittee on Military Research and Development, House Committee on National Security, GAO examined the steps the Navy is taking to ensure a viable, effective naval force that will be ready to conduct mine countermeasures in two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts. Specifically, GAO evaluated the (1) status of the Navy's research and development projects, (2) readiness of the Navy's on-hand mine countermeasures assets, and (3) match between the Navy's planned and on-hand mine countermeasures assets and its mine countermeasures requirements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 13, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA305721
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office