Between China's activities in the South China Sea, Iran's in the Strait of Hor-muz and Russia's in and around Crimea and the Black Sea, these three regional hotpots have the fateful potential to deny Western naval powers the ability to project themselves in critical regions. This is something that will become even more acute in a wartime scenario, when current, "sub-war" behaviour is replaced by full military A2/AD actions. This could be disastrous should allied nations be in urgent need of military help but could not be reached by naval forces subdued by A2/AD weaponry. This article looks at some of the regional hotspots mentioned, any of which could initiate a major conflict; how Western allies are partnering to address denial in these regions; as well as A2/AD in relation to certain current scenarios.
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