# Naval strategy

Pakistan Sends Chinese-Built Frigate into Strait of Hormuz, Shifting the Naval Balance

Pakistan has deployed the Chinese-built Type 054A/P frigate Shahjahan to escort its merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman and eastern approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, a move framed as a sovereign, non-aligned effort to protect vital trade and energy flows. The mission gives Islamabad greater autonomy and helps break the U.S.–Iran naval duopoly in the waterway, while highlighting capability gaps that will likely push Pakistan toward acquiring larger destroyers and deeper logistical arrangements.