Gaining Entry: Countering China’s Anti-Access Area-Denial Strategy

Defense 101: Do Not Enter

Denying the enemy into his intended sphere of operations is not a new strategy. For millennia, military commanders have attempted to choose the field of battle, worked to prevent foes from entering their territory, and built uncountable bastions to secure territory. Territorial integrity is and has always been vital to power, and therefore acquiring and defending territory remains a key element of maintaining and projecting military strength.

In this sense, China’s Anti-Access Area-Denial (A2AD) strategy is nothing new. It harkens back to words spoken by ancient military expert Sun Tzu, “You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.”[1] This is exactly what China intends to do in the South China Sea, to push the United States Navy, specifically its carrier groups, out of the South China Sea and therefore out of striking range of mainland China.

At the same time the concept has clearly evolved alongside the evolution of weapons and warfare. At Agincourt in 1415, the equivalent of A2AD was accomplished when English archers pounded rows of sharpened stakes into the ground to protect themselves from French knights; along the Western Front A2AD was accomplished primarily by stringing barbed wire across no-man’s…