MINE COUNTERMEASURES FORCES

This article is a survey of mine countermeasures (MCM) forces worldwide. From the survey it can be seen that there are still many maritime nations with sizeable mercantile and naval forces which, for various reasons, have chosen to ignore or neglect any possible MCM requirements. One area of particular note is Latin America where, although countries have modernized and expanded their navies, very little thought appears to have been given to developing an effective MCM capability to protect these assets. Even where MCM forces do exist, they are largely obsolete and desperately in need of replacement. The Gulf is another area where states need to carefully consider their MCM requirements. Certain areas in the Far East, where a mining campaign could cause havoc to international shipping as well as national naval assets, are also almost completely lacking in MCM capability. Only in Europe, Japan, and latterly the USA, has any real effort been devoted to developing effective MCM forces.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Navy Intl, v 99 n 11/12, Nov/Dec 1994, p 280 [4 p, 2 tab, 3 fig]
• Publication Date: 1994

Language

• English

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Explosive mines; Fleet management; Surveys
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fleets
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00710091
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Maritime Technology
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 14 1995 12:00AM