Last American naval minesweeper set to be retired as soon as 2027
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Etajima minesweeper makes a port call in Cambodia in April 2025. (Pool photo)
TOKYO — The Japanese government is considering plans to help sweep mines from the Strait of Hormuz once a ceasefire is reached in the Iran war, at a time when the U.S. Navy is planning to retire the last of its minesweeping ships.