China Has 100,000 Naval Mines To Fight The U.S. Navy

When you think of undersea warfare, you immediately conjure up images of submarines, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. China and the United States have significant numbers of subs patrolling in those waters daily. But a less well-known tactic in China’s toolbox is the use of undersea mines (perhaps as many as 100,000) to keep the U.S. Navy fleet guessing about where they can deploy safely without striking a mine. The U.S. Naval War College contends the use of mines by the Chinese navy as part of its “Assassin’s Mace” strategy which is to hit asymmetrically against the American fleet.

Since at least 2021, China has conducted exercises in which it has laid mines dropped from its H-6J bombers in the South China Sea near Hainan Island – the southernmost region of China. In 2018, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) engaged in a drill with 60 minelayers and minesweepers in the South China Sea to protect various islands, rocks, and reefs where Beijing has territorial claims. The PLAN has emphasized that mine laying is a key feature of its undersea warfare strategy.