The End of the Age of Transoceanic Navies?

For 25 years following the end of the Cold War, Western navies focused on operating in littorals and projecting power from sea to land. This began to change with the rise of near-peer rivals and the development of highly sophisticated anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) technologies. Nonetheless, expeditionary operations have remained a core business for most navies. Richard Dunley argues that the democratisation of these A2/AD technologies, as conflicts in the Red and Black Seas have highlighted, will significantly restrict the ability of navies to continue operating in this way, even against smaller powers. This will lead to the end of the second golden age of transoceanic navies. ◼