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of only fifty or a hundred miles distance. With the advent of air power all of these things changed. As the air covers the sea and land in equal measure, there is no restriction on the application of air power as to location. Its sole limitation is its radius of action. Aircraft have been built that are capable of going farther with one cargo of fuel than any other carrier ever devised. No part of the sea or land is now immune from their operations. Therefore, our former ideas of the application of military power need entire re-vision. Should two first class military powers of the present day come into armed conflict, the world will be the theatre of operations, while the actual field of operations will extend to all parts of the country that is forced to take the defensive and that has lost the power of initiative. To-day it is necessary to gain the ascendency first with air power before a decision can be obtained over an enemy.

The old conception of sea power was that its mission was to keep the sea across clear of the enemy so as to allow uninterrupted freedom of movement to our own sea-craft. Today


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