Overview
- The Navy said a USS Chief sailor scratched by a monkey in Phuket was flown to Sasebo for care and the minesweeping mission continued without delay.
- USS Chief and USS Pioneer, both mine-hunting ships, were sent from Southeast Asia to clear Iranian-laid mines and counter hostile small boats near the Strait of Hormuz.
- President Trump posted on Truth Social that minesweepers are operating, ordered a tripling of activity, and told the Navy to shoot boats that place mines.
- Commanders are adding helicopters, undersea drones, surveillance aircraft, and destroyers to widen detection and protection for the slow-moving mine-countermeasure ships.
- The Strait of Hormuz normally carries about one-fifth of global oil in peacetime, so prolonged disruption there could squeeze shipping routes and energy supply.