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Moulton: “Then why did you send the only minesweepers we had in the Gulf to Singapore weeks before the war started?”
The exchange followed Moulton’s pointed questioning of Hegseth’s accountability for the war’s onset. When asked if he advised President Trump to attack Iran, Hegseth deflected, stating he would not discuss his advice to the president .
The Minesweeper Gap: What Happened
Multiple investigative reports confirm that the U.S. Navy withdrew its primary mine-clearing capabilities from the region shortly before the war began, leaving a significant gap in its ability to secure the Strait of Hormuz against Iranian mining threats.
Specifically, the four Avenger-class minesweepers that had been forward-deployed in Bahrain for decades were decommissioned, loaded onto a heavy-lift ship in January 2026, and transported to Philadelphia . Their replacements—Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) configured for mine countermeasures—were also absent from the Gulf when the war started.
Two such LCS, the USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, were photographed in Malaysia on March 15, just weeks after the war began on February 28, and subsequently arrived in Singapore for maintenance and refitting . The Pentagon later acknowledged they were in Singapore for “brief logistical stops” and maintenance, but their location left the U.S. with no mine countermeasure ships in the region at a critical time .
Strategic Consequences
The absence of these assets proved consequential:
- Iran laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz, intelligence sources confirmed
- U.S. officials reportedly estimated it could take up to six months to clear the mines
- The strait has remained effectively closed to commercial transit since the war began on February 28
Background: Avenger-Class Decommissioning
The minesweeper gap was not a wartime discovery—it stemmed from a pre-war decision. The Avenger-class wooden-hulled minesweepers, purpose-built to find and destroy naval mines, were decommissioned in late 2025. The Navy had planned to replace them with LCS equipped with new unmanned mine-countermeasure systems .
However, the replacement system was not fully ready. A classified briefing revealed operators reported the drone boats’ sonar sometimes failed to detect threats without any visible indication of failure until after mission data was analyzed. One pre-deployment exercise resulted in a runaway mine countermeasures drone that could not be recovered .
Hegseth’s Response
Confronted with the minesweeper question, Hegseth struggled to provide a clear defense. The broader hearing saw Hegseth leaning into his role as a Trump defender, accusing war critics of being “reckless, feckless and defeatist” . However, his earlier claim in the hearing that Iran’s “nuclear facilities have been obliterated” was met with immediate pushback from Deputy Staff Director Patrick Nevins, who challenged whether the war’s military objectives had actually been achieved .
Pentagon officials separately told lawmakers during a classified briefing that it would likely take six months to clear the mines Iran has laid in the strait. When asked about the estimate, Hegseth told reporters: “Allegedly that was something that was said. But we feel confident in our ability, in the correct period of time, to clear any mines that we identify.” He did not deny the six-month estimate .
Key Takeaways
| Aspect | Summary |
|---|---|
| The Assets Removed | Four Avenger-class minesweepers decommissioned and sent to Philadelphia (January 2026) |
| The Replacement Issue | LCS mine-countermeasure ships (Tulsa, Santa Barbara) were in Malaysia and Singapore when war began |
| Pentagon Explanation | Ships needed “maintenance” and “refitting” after extended operations |
| Strategic Consequence | Iran mined the strait; U.S. had no dedicated minesweepers in theater |
| Clearance Timeline | Pentagon reportedly estimated six months to clear the mines |
| Hegseth’s Response | “We feel confident… in the correct period of time, to clear any mines that we identify” |
| Moulton’s Charge | The absence left U.S. forces vulnerable and the strait effectively blockaded |
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