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Sea denial is a military term for preventing an enemy from using the sea. It is a naval warfare subset of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategies,[1][2] and does not necessarily mean that the denier itself will use the sea. It is a parallel concept to sea control, which implies that that controlling force cannot be successfully attacked.
Vego describes sea denial as "preventing partially or completely the enemy’s use of the sea for military and commercial purposes".[3]
Corbett states that the object of sea denial is defensive. It is a less ambitious strategy than sea control and is often carried out by a weaker power.[4] It is possible to pursue sea denial in one area of operation while pursuing sea control in another.
Sea denial can act as a direct complement to sea control. A nation may achieve sea control in its littorals, while enforcing sea denial outside the littorals, as was seen with the Soviet Union during periods of the Cold War.
- ^ Till, Geoffrey (2018). Seapower. A Guide for the Twenty-First Century (4th ed.). Routledge. pp. 193–197. ISBN 9781315621210.
- ^ Speller, Ian (2018). Understanding Naval Warfare (2nd ed.). Routledge. pp. 118–132. ISBN 9781315227818.
- ^ Vego, Milan (2019). Maritime strategy and sea denial, theory and practice (1st ed.). Routledge. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-351-04772-2.
- ^ Corbett, Julian Stafford (1911). Some Principles of Maritime Strategy. Adansonia Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780080366937.