Even relatively unsophisticated mines have been used to prevent ship movements from Vietnam to the English Channel, while also thwarting amphibious assaults from the gates of Istanbul to the coasts of Korea.
The news comes days after the Ukrainian military warned about an increased risk for civilians posed by drifting naval mines in the Black Sea due to lengthy storms.
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.