The Washington times., 1917-04-04
STRATEGY RULING
FACTOR IN NAVY
Admiral Fiske Says Lack oi
System Makes United
States Inferior.
NJ REAR ADMIRAL BRADLEY A.
FISKE, U. 8. n.

FlShbB Os % Ne
The most important element connected
with a navy is the strategy which di-
rectS it, in accordance with which all
its plans are laid-plans for prepara-
ton before war and plans for opera
tons during war. Strategy is to a navy
what mind is to a man. 1t determines
It's character, its composition, Its aims
and, so far as external conditions VIII
permit. the results which 1t accomp-
fishes.
One dislikes intensely to criticise his
own country, even to himself. But when
a naval officer is studying-as he should
continually .do-what must be done. In
order to protect his country from at
tack by some foreign foe, II would be
criminal folly for him to estimate the
situation otherwise than honestly; and
to do this, IL is necessary to try to see
where his country Is weak and Where
strong, relatively to the possible foes
in question. II we do this. and compare
the strategical methods employed by
say Germany and us-we are forced 10
admit that the German methods are
better adapted to producing, econom-
icaIly, a navy fitted to contend success
fully in war against an enemy. In Ger
many the development Of the navy has
been strictly along the lines OF method
carefully devised beforehand: in our
country no method whatever Is appar-
ent. at least. no logical method. Con-
Eress, and Congress alone. decides what
vessels and other craft shall be built,
how many officers and men shall wear
the uniforms.
1t is true that they consult the report
Of the Secretary Of the Navy, and ask
the opinions Of some naval officers;
and it is true that the Secretary Of the
Navy gets the opinions, Of certain naval
officers. including the General Board.
before making his report But both the
Secretary and Congress estimate the
situation from their own points Of view.
and place their own value on the ad-
vice of naval officers. And the advice
OF these naval officers Is not so valuable.
possibly, as it might be, for the reason
that it is really irresponsible, since the
advisers themselves know that it will
not be taken very seriously.
France Proves Claim Wrong.
It is often said that Germany is an
empire and the United States a re-
public, and that, therefore, the mill
tary methods OF Germany cannot be
employed here. The inference is not
necessarily correct, however, as is
shown by the excellence of the army
of France, for France, although a re-
public, insists that military strategy
only shall control and direct the army.
The American Congress can do the
same with the American navy.
Whether Congress shall SO decide or
not, the decision will undoubtedly be
wise, and we of the navy will do our
utmost to make the navy alb 1t should
be. In this connection II should be
noted that:
/. Germany has been following
certain strategic system regarding the
navy: we a system different from
that of any other navy, which has
been used now for more than I4O
years. Both systems have been IN
operation for time sufficiently long
to warrant our comparing them. by
comparing the results they have
achieved. o.
.. The German navy has been in ex-
istence a much shorter time than the
American navy, belongs to a much
less populous and wealthy country.
and yet is not only 30 per cent larger
in trained personnel, but, IL we Judge
by the maneuvers carried on in both
peace and war. is much better in or
Soh'@otAOhs AhOIdiS. anu capacity 1QT
doing naval work upon the ocean.
Strategy Makes For Efficiency.
3. In case our system is not so
good as that of-say Germany-or
Of any other country having a sys-
tenn equally excellent, we shall
never be able to contend successfully
against that navy, under equally
strategic conditions, unless we have
an excess over her in numbers of
personnel and material sufficient to
counteract our inferiority in effici-
'ency.
The efficiency OF a navy or an
army is exactly what the strategic
system makes it. Eleven thousand
Greeks under Miltiades, highly eff
cient and thoroughly trained, defeat
ed 100000 PersianS at Marathon. A
Greek fleet undef ThemistocIes de-
feated and almost destroyed a much
larger Persian fleet at Salamis.
With an army of less than $4,000
men, but highly trained by Philip
OF Macedon- his father. Alexander in
only twelve years conquered ten of
the most wealthy and populous coun-
tries OF the world. Caesar, Alaric.
Attila, Charlemagne, and all the
great military men from the greatest
antiquity down to the present moment
have trained and organized bodies
of soldiers and sailors, under sys-
TENS suited to the times, and then
Waged successful war on peoples less