Steven Wills Defends US Navy Hormuz Operations as 0 Combat Losses Undercut 'Failure' Claims
Updated
Updated · Breaking Defense · Jul 23
Steven Wills Defends US Navy Hormuz Operations as 0 Combat Losses Undercut 'Failure' Claims
3 articles · Updated · Breaking Defense · Jul 23
Summary
Steven Wills argued the US Navy cannot be labeled a failure in the Strait of Hormuz while operations continue and no US ship or carrier-based aircraft has been lost in combat.
The rebuttal answers a July 17 critique by CSIS analyst Mark Cancian, who said the Navy failed to plan adequately for keeping the strait open despite years of warning.
Wills said blockade enforcement, escort missions, mine countermeasures and counter-drone combat have worked, while Iranian small-boat attacks were repeatedly repelled and shipping still moves along US-guided southern routes.
He added that Hormuz has been threatened, not truly closed: no confirmed ship has struck a mine, AEGIS warships and helicopters have blunted attacks, and large-scale mine clearance is typically judged after combat ends.
The broader point, he wrote, is that any shortfall in Operation Epic Fury would be political or joint-force strategic failure rather than proof of a naval defeat.