ms spock said:

Cymek said:

With the USA also blockading the strait it would mean they are more vulnerable to attack than the open ocean.

And Trump had cancelled the four ships that used to track mines and other such things. Seems a bit short sighted.

The US Navy has a cyclical history with counter-mine warfare.

A situation will arise where having vessels that can detect and neutralise various types of mines is a definite necessity.

Then the USN looks at its inventory, and discovers that it has few, if any, such vessels. This is because the last batch they got gradually wore out and got paid off, or the bean counters decided to get rid of them early to save a few dollars, and none of them were replaced.

Because they’re not big sexy ships like aircraft carriers and guided missile destroyers, this depletion goes on steadily without anyone noticing, or just not caring.

Until suddenly they need minesweepers again.

Once that crisis is passed, they go nuts, and build a whole lot of mine warfare vessels. And the whole cycle starts over again.

And, to be honest, the RAN does exactly the same thing.