[GonzoGOP]

The big problem may be surface-to-ship missiles which are easy to hide onshore.

Finding the Kilo class boats they have would be no picnic either. If they get those into the Indian Ocean before the shooting starts we will have a devil of a time running them to ground. We just don't have the ASW assets we had back in the cold war. With the S-3 Vikings retired the carriers are no longer in the sub hunting business. And our SSNs don't do well against quiet diesel boats in the shallows.

In addition to direct torpedo and missile attacks the Kilos would be excellent mine layers. We might use the helicopters on our DDGs and FFGs to keep the immediate area around a convoy clear, but they know the path we have to follow. They would be a long way off before they convoy's ASW assets show up. Just dump mines in our path and wait for something to go bang.

[central_va]

Most people think that diesel boats are easy targets, they are not. Actually they are pretty damn invisible to passive sonar when on batteries. Pinging them might cause unwanted hydrophone effects on the reverse bearing.

[Tallguy]

The commodore of the escort group will do what was done during the “Tanker War” phase of the Iran-Iraq war. He’ll line the tankers up line-ahead and let the lead tanker absorb the mine hit. A modern double-hull supertanker can take a hit and keep going.

I’d fill a tanker with ballast rather than an oil cargo and use it as a low-tech minesweeper. It’s not elegant, but it worked before.