Having made these observations the authors nevertheless do make some broad statements on current capabilities. Obviously, radio, radar, and aircraft are not technological developments exclusive to naval warfare so the authors found it necessary to discuss the development of these key innovations in broader terms that included the development of land-based systems.

Mines were used both offensively and defensively during World War I where they were produced and laid by the tens of thousands.In this latest book, Innovating Victory: Naval Technology in Three Wars, O’Hara has teamed up with Leonard Heinz, an experienced designer of wargames and simulations with emphasis on tactical naval problems. Ten years later the turbine-driven ships of the British and German navies that fought the Battle of Jutland were twice as large as the triple-expansion battleships that clashed at Tsushima and fired shells that were twice as heavy to double the range. Many other naval technologies were developed in the same period, and several had revolutionary impact.

In general, navies strive to win wars with better versions of existing weapons, tools, and platforms rather than use novelties in the front line. As technologies matured, their potency multiplied—compare the first gasoline-powered submarines that went to sea with one torpedo, no radio, and no periscope with the nuclear-powered and -armed boats of today.

For example, Guglielmo Marconi demonstrated his radio in 1896 and by 1897, the Italian Navy had trialed ship to shore communication. That sentiment was definitely the case during World War II, a massive global conflict that presented the United States with a variety of tactical and logistical challenges. In response, scientists, technicians, and inventors supplied a steady stream of new products that helped make victory possible. To paraphrase Carl von Clausewitz, while the concept of innovation is simple, innovating under enemy fire is difficult. Modern naval technology is the sum of the of the elements involved in the invention, development, production, and use of specialized weapons, tools, and platforms.

Losing battleships to mines or torpedoes without inflicting similar losses on the enemy would give the enemy an advantage that could be overcome only—if ever—by years of costly naval construction.In 1942, however, Japan seized both of these regions, effectively cutting off the US supply of natural rubber. On July 16, 1945, in a test code-named Trinity, the scientists witnessed the first successful atomic explosion. At every turn Americans seemed to need more of everything—more supplies, bigger bombs, faster airplanes, better medical treatments, and more precise communications. One of the key messages from the book is the need for a combination of scientists and specialists to work in collaboration with the end users to ensure a successful and effective outcome. In the Second World War the early advances by both the German and Japanese forces also meant that a large proportion of their military assets were diverted to maintain control of captured territory, and were not necessarily available for offensive operations.

Since the conflicts of the 1970s and 1980s, as networked and distributed systems, drones, artificial intelligence, and directed energy and magnetic weapons have come into use or development, there has not been a single case of peer-to-peer combat between major navies. The longbow did not become a decisive weapon until it had a decisive target—in this case, clustered masses of French chivalry. Victory smiles upon those who anticipate changes in the character of war, not upon those who wait to adapt themselves after the changes occur. Such a vehicle had to be light—no more than 1,300 pounds—yet it had to be able to carry at least three fully armed soldiers and a large machine gun. For instance, many radio direction-finding antennas provide more accurate locations and greater resilience against damage.Militaries generally regard the goal of technological innovation as a matter of progressive improvement in a proven field: larger guns firing bigger shells to greater ranges, for example. The first wave started in the mid-nineteenth century as coal-fired steam engines replaced sail, armor was developed, guns and mines were improved, torpedoes appeared, and radio was introduced. The third wave, which lasted through the end of World War II, moved naval warfare fully into the electromagnetic spectrum as technologies such as radar and sonar expanded perceptions beyond the horizon and beneath the waves, revolutionized the collection and use of information, and saw the introduction of practical guided weapons. It also provides some stimulus for consideration by those planning the future of navies, in an inceasingly complex and challenging world.