This is the first book to examine of the concept of anti-access and area denial warfare. This type of strategy which is also referred to by acronym “A2/AD,” has been identified in American strategic planning as the most likely strategies to be deployed by the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran in any future conflict with the United States. It advances the understanding of sea power by identifying the naval roots of the development of the concept of anti-access while previous studies of the subject have emphasised the effects on the joint force and, particularly, air forces. While the book describes the subject from a joint perspective, it focuses on the dominant maritime nature of such conflicts.