Top 10 countries most equipped to deal with mine warfare in 2025

A mine warfare fleet consists of naval vessels, specialized equipment, and people devoted to detecting, removing, laying, or combating naval mines.

Business Insider Africa presents the top 10 countries most equipped to deal with mine warfare.
This list is courtesy of Global Firepower.
Russia number 1 on the list.

A mine warfare fleet’s principal responsibility is to keep sea lanes, ports, and coastal waterways safe and navigable during both peacetime and warfare.

Securing access to and from ports, shipping lanes, and crucial waterways is essential in a world where maritime trade routes serve as the main conduits for international trade.

Building and maintaining a sizable mine warfare fleet is one of the best, yet sometimes disregarded, ways to guarantee maritime security.

Mine warfare may not receive as much media attention as airstrikes or naval conflicts, but its significance cannot be emphasized, particularly for countries whose control of vital sea lanes is essential to their security and economic well-being.

Naval mines are potent asymmetric warfare tactics, especially for coastal defense.

Anti-tank mines at a Russian position taken under control by the Ukrainian army in the direction of Velyka Novosilka, 13 July 2023.Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A big mine warfare fleet allows a country to lay defensive minefields to safeguard its coastline and harbors from hostile ships or amphibious assault troops.

The capacity to prevent access to an enemy’s ships, submarines, or landing craft guarantees that the country retains control of its seas.

Minefields may hamper an enemy’s naval activities during a fight, slowing them down and requiring them to spend resources clearing mines.

In past military engagements, governments deployed mines to stymie enemy invasion efforts, requiring foes to invest considerably in mine clearance before beginning operations.

Furthermore, naval power is more than just the quantity of ships and planes at one’s disposal; it also includes the capacity to influence enemy strategy by threatening to mine vital places.

The US Navy wants a robotic crawler to take over the dangerous job of clearing naval mines, especially ones laid on the sea floor.MC1 Charles E. White/US Navy

A big mine warfare fleet enhances a country’s naval capabilities by providing an additional layer of strategic reach.

With that said, here are the 10 countries in the world with the largest mine warfare fleet, as per data from Global Firepower.