Three Major Obstacles to Deploying Warships to the Strait of Hormuz

It Takes at Least Three Weeks to Deploy Warships Equipped with Defense Systems
Difficulties Remain for the Cheonghae Unit, Including Mine Clearance, Even with Direct Deployment

Although U.S. President Donald Trump has requested the deployment of warships to the Strait of Hormuz, prevailing views within and outside the South Korean military suggest that it is realistically difficult to accept the request. There are numerous obstacles, such as the time required for deployment and the necessary procedures, making it virtually impossible to accept the request and leaving South Korea with no choice but to decline.

The countries to which President Trump has requested warship deployments are South Korea, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and France—a total of five. Excluding China, he has effectively sent a “security invoice” to four major allied countries, urging them to support the war against Iran.

For the South Korean Navy to send vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, it is essential to equip them with defense systems capable of intercepting Iranian missiles and drones. The Navy possesses about 10 destroyers outfitted with the Aegis weapon system, an integrated maritime defense system that covers everything from target detection to interception. The main vessels include six Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers, three Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyers, and one Jeongjo the Great-class Aegis destroyer. The key issue, however, is time. Even if these ships were to depart for the Strait of Hormuz immediately, it would take at least three to four weeks to arrive. Furthermore, it is impossible to predict what kind of environment will await them upon arrival.

Mine clearance is another variable. All 10 mine countermeasure vessels operated by the South Korean Navy are under 700 tons each, which is far too small for long-distance operations.

The same limitations apply to the Cheonghae Unit, which is currently the most likely candidate for immediate deployment. Since its first deployment in January 2009, the Cheonghae Unit is now on its 47th rotation, with approximately 260 personnel performing their mission. The Dae Jo Young, the Cheonghae Unit’s destroyer dispatched to patrol the piracy-prone waters of the Gulf of Aden near Somalia, could reach the Strait of Hormuz in about a week if redeployed. The Dae Jo Young is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer equipped with SM-2 ship-to-air missiles and Blue Shark torpedoes, giving it some capacity to respond to missile and underwater drone attacks. However, as it lacks mine countermeasure helicopters, direct deployment to the Strait of Hormuz would be difficult.

Domestic political circumstances must also be considered. The Cheonghae Unit has a precedent for deployment to the Strait of Hormuz. During the first Trump administration in 2019, the United States requested South Korea’s participation in the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC)—the so-called “Hormuz Escort Coalition.” At the time, instead of joining the IMSC, the Cheonghae Unit’s operational area in the Gulf of Aden was temporarily expanded to cover the Strait of Hormuz, with the mission of protecting Korean nationals and vessels passing through.

Deployment of the Cheonghae Unit requires approval from the National Assembly. Article 60, Clause 2 of the Constitution stipulates that “The National Assembly has the right to consent to declarations of war, the dispatch of armed forces to foreign countries, or the stationing of foreign forces within the territory of the Republic of Korea.” In 2020, during the Moon Jae-in administration, the Cheonghae Unit was dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz without obtaining National Assembly approval. At that time, the government argued that expanding the Cheonghae Unit’s operational area from the Gulf of Aden to the Strait of Hormuz did not require separate approval. However, if the current request from President Trump is accepted, many expect similar controversy to arise again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.