Why today’s Navy minesweepers remind me of the ancient Melian Dialogue

I nearly turned the page when I saw an article in the November issue of Proceedings about the wretched state of the Navy minesweeping community. Yes, they lack enough hulls. Yes, they are neglected. Yes, no one else seems to care. That all has been true as long as I can remember.

So, I asked myself, what does the state of the U.S. Navy minesweeping community remind me of? Then it came to me: The Melian Dialogue in Thucydides. That is, re-stated in U.S. Navy terms: Submarines and aviation get what they need, mine warfare suffers what it must.

Photo credit: U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons