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A Threat and an Opportunity (Prize Essay, 1940)

By Lieutenant Franklin G. Percival, U. S. Navy (Retired)
April 1940
Proceedings
Article
View Issue

"There are no specifics in warfare."—Mahan

For some time there has been apparent a disquieting basic trend in naval war—an unmistakable progressive decrease in the utility of surface fleets. Recent developments, however, indicate the practicability of not only reversing this unfortunate trend but also waging a type of campaign in which a navy can function with a swiftness, range, and power hitherto unknown. Furthermore, because of its unique geographic location, both this threat and this opportunity mean more to the United States than to any other nation. A review of this situation is offered in the pages which follow.

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Digital Proceedings content made possible by a gift from CAPT Roger Ekman, USN (Ret.)

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