What capability is essential for Marine operations to counter A2/AD environments?

• A. Distributed, mobile basing and sea-based maneuver (EABO/MDO)
• B. Cyber operations within MAGTF
• C. Static forward operating bases using sole land bases
• D. Large-scale land-based artillery superiority

Answer: (A)

Countering anti-access/area-denial environments hinges on staying out of the enemy’s reach by not relying on a single fixed footprint. The best option emphasizes dispersed, mobile basing and sea-based maneuver because it gives Marine forces the flexibility to project power, maneuver, and sustain operations from multiple locations that are harder for an adversary to deny or destroy.

By distributing bases across expeditionary locations ashore and leveraging ships and sea-based platforms, Marines can shorten lines of communication when needed, rapidly relocate to avoid threats, and maintain pressure and presence in contested waters. This approach, embodied in Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations and Maritime Domain Operations, keeps options open, complicates enemy targeting, and preserves agility in dynamic, deny-heavy environments.

Static, fixed forward bases are precisely what A2/AD seeks to complicate, making them fragile and high-value targets. Large-scale land-based artillery alone doesn’t address the core challenge of access and maneuver in contested maritime space, and cyber operations, while important, do not by themselves provide the physical reach and survivability needed to operate effectively in A2/AD environments.