For four months, the United States conducted a covert mine-clearance operation in the Strait of Hormuz in parallel with strikes against Iran. The operation became known through an investigation by the Financial Times. US Navy combat divers, robotic boats, underwater mine-detection systems and inflatable boats were involved. The operation was conducted from the floating base USS Miguel Keith without public disclosure.

The Americans minimized the presence of large ships in the high-risk area, relying on unmanned systems for mine detection, while divers were used primarily to destroy the mines.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway with a controlled perimeter. The Black Sea, by contrast, covers thousands of square kilometers, contains drifting mines and involves significantly greater operational challenges. Nevertheless, the American experience offers Ukraine three important lessons.

The first is the use of unmanned systems instead of putting crews at risk. Ukraine is already moving in this direction. The American case confirms that this is not simply a wartime improvisation, but part of a modern naval doctrine.

The second is modularity. Instead of large mine-countermeasure vessels, the operation used a combination of small platforms, robotic systems and a floating base. For the Black Sea, a dispersed and mobile model could prove more resilient than concentrating forces in ports.

The third is information silence. Mine clearance does not require the results to be demonstrated in real time. Operational security is more important than the information effect.

There is, however, a fundamental difference. The Americans operated in an environment where the adversary was no longer actively laying mines. Russia continues to create a mine threat in the Black Sea. Therefore, for Ukraine, mine clearance is not a one-off operation but a long-term process that will continue for years, even after the fighting ends.