Mine countermeasures need hulls as well as technology

In this assessment, reductions in specialist fleets explain the shortage of available minesweepers. European NATO members had been expected to carry much of the alliance's mine-warfare burden after the Cold War; Britain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands are cited as countries that cut those forces. The argument distinguishes having workable technology from having enough equipped hulls to deploy it. Remote systems mounted aboard other vessels still need a suitable platform. Renting commercial hulls raises the question of whether an owner would accept the risk of sending a ship into a minefield. US reliance on allied mine forces is presented as vulnerable when those partners have too few vessels available.