The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-12-26
BIG AIR FLEET
NEEDED, SAYS
FULLAN
Bring Navy Up-to-Date for
Protection Of Coasts, Adj
niraI Advises.
By W. F. FULLAM,
Rear Admiral U. 8. N. Retired.

BY w. F. FULLAM,
Rear Admiral u. 8. N. Retired.
copyright. 1923, by Cosmopolitan
News Service.)
The official annual report OF the
chief of the coast artillery, United
States army, brings forcibly to the
front the question Of the best
method Of defending the coasts, the
Panama canal, and our foreign pos
under the conditions that
obtain at the present time and that
will obtain in the years to come.
Must Avoid Waste.
There is no money to waste. The
budget system is here to stay. There
is, and always will be. a blind and
tendency to cut expen-
ditures for the army and navy to
the bone. Too little attention will be
given to the statement of Secretary
Weeks as to the total effect Of reduc-
ing our army.
Under existing circumstances
therefore, it is imperative that Off
GERS Of the army and navy shall keep
to the times in military and naval
science in order that thew may gain
the confidence Of Congress and the
people in the correctness and wis
dom of their professional judgment.
They must be so completely familiar
with the lesson of recent wars and
so intelligently informed as to the
effectiveness Of modern weapons
that their recommendations will pro-
vide the maximum of defense, and
the maximum of offensive strength
against our possible enemies, with
the minimum of expenditure.
Governing Principles.
In outlining a modern coast de-
Tense plan a few governing princi-
pies must be laid down:
1. A coast is vulnerable only to Q
naval and air attack followed by an
invading army.
2. Modern weapons - mine bar
RACES, submarines and air forces
have vastly limited the offense and
proportionately strengthened the de-
tense in a naval expedition overseas.
8. No battle fleet, still less an
army in transports, however strong,
can venture near q coast unless the
fleet and the transport overwhelm-
ingly command the air above them.
selves every minute Of the time.
Conditions Changed.
In this connection even a high
school boy will realize that fleet
cannot today penetrate the Missis.
sippi river nor enter Mobile Bay as
did Farragut in the civil war. It
cannot enter Manila bay as Dewey
did. 1t cannot lie in semi-circle
for weeks with engines stopped on
a blockading line as Sampson did
off Santiago. 1t can do none Of
these things that a fleet dared to
do twenty-five years ago. Fixed
mine fields alone will serve to keep
a fleet many miles distant from any
seaport, and when we add subma-
rines, and airplanes carrying 1000
pound bombs, torpedoes and floating
mines, the dead line for an attack
ing fleet may be easily pushed 100
miles off shore.
It is in these modern weapons,
therefore, that we find the surest
means of coast defense with the
minimum of expenditure. Forts and
their heavy guns are not needed.
These guns have a maximum range
Of only twenty miles, and they can
marines and air forces can hold the
enemy 100 miles off shore day and
night-eighty miles beyond the
range of fort and It's guns. OF
what use, then, is the fort? II we
have a long-range gun, there Is no
need Of a short-range one. If the
infantry Of an army have modern
rifles, they do not need bows and
arrows.
Air Control Is Solution.
The whole problem of coast de-
Tense is completely solved by COM
handing the air and the subsurface
of the sea. These forces dominate
the hostile surface fleet and the de-
tending forts on land. If the hos.
tile fleet can bring with it enough
planes to command the air with
bombs and poison gas-even sneez.
Ing or tear gas to render the de.
tenders temporarily helpless-ft will
smash coast forts and blow them
to atoms. Our cities and harbors
VIII be at the enemy's mercy. Six.
teen guns sprinkled along the coast
from PASSPORT, Me-, to Galveston.
Tex, cannot save us,
Another point to be noted IN that
forts and their guns are fixed. They
cannot move. But submarines and
air forces can be modified In O
short time at any point on the coast
threatened by an enemy. Thus the
airplane may be considered as
gun with a range from Maine to
Texas.
Our air force. IL II "a more
powerful than that which tho hos.
tile fleet can bring with It from
across the sea, will command tho
air along our coast, In th,a enae
the victory 10 ours. II, on the other
hand. the enemy fleet commando
tho air, we are lost, C,ommand of
tho air therefore IL the kov To
coast defense, No fleet viii dare
to leave HON to attack us 81 IL
knows we can command tho afr and
that We have mine fialda and subj
marines. It 10 defeated befapa II
starts across the ocean, It will nat
start.
Mines Held Fleet,
The grand fleet If Great britain
uio not enter the Baltic. German
mihas ana submarines forbade. Eng.
NHh anu HFeAea battle fleets could
nov 4otoe the 1AFdeRaiies. The First
Lotu OF tne HFltlsh Admiralty states
landed at Gaiiinoli if the Turks
haa submarines, And when a few
Austrian and German suhna arines
finally appeared the fleet mas com.
PEELED to shut ltsalf un in Nudros
Il f. interesting - . .,,,.t