"The US Navy is aggressively pursuing a radically new 'in-stride' concept in mine countermeasures to support its expeditionary doctrine.

One important lesson re-learned from the 1990-1991 Gulf War was the threat posed by sea mines to maritime expeditionary forces. The US Navy (USN) Aegis cruiser USS Princeton was severely damaged by an Italian-made Manta influence mine, while the assault ship USS Tripoli sustained serious damage after striking an old-fashioned LUGM 145 horned-mine (This USD 1,900 weapon caused USD 5 million worth of damage to the Tripoli).

The humble mine, with its low cost and high disruptive potential, continues to be of constant concern to any maritime commander venturing into the confines of the littoral. Cheep to produce and easy to lay, its asymmetric ability to inflict major damage and significant casualties can deny access to an amphibious task force and thereby prevent timely 'bridging' of the sea-to-shore gap.

Mine countermeasures (MCM) have therefore become critical to the USN's ability to effectively control, shape and dominate the littoral battlespace. This ability not only includes locating and neutralizing mines, but also identifying those areas where mines are not present.

Seven different equipment programmes currently constitute the USN's organic MCM programme, with the intention to progressively introduce 'in-stride' detection and clearance capability to the fleet from 2005. They are:
Detection
AN/AQS-20X airborne mine hunting sonar.
AN/AES-1 airborne laser mine detection system.
AN/WLD-1 (v) I remote mine hunting system.
AN/BLQ-11 long-term mine reconnaissance system.
Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep.

Clearance
Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS).
Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS).