Accession Number:

ADA524799

Title:

Naval Innovation: From Coal to Oil

Descriptive Note:

Journal article

Corporate Author:

NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIV WASHINGTON DC INST FOR NATIONAL STRATEGIC STUDIES

Personal Author(s):

• Dahl, Erik J.

Report Date:

2001-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

8.0

Abstract:

Technology is often cited as a key aspect of the revolution in military affairs and a decisive factor in military operations today. A study of the transition by the Royal Navy from coal to oil, stimulated by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill and Admiral Sir John Jacky Fisher, reveals a more complex story. Although technological change was a great success--every navy soon switched to oil--it did not constitute a strategic advance for Britain. It was an achievement that represented a grave risk to a nation which possessed large coal reserves but no oil. This example suggests how technological innovations alone do not spark a revolution in military affairs.

Descriptors:

• *MILITARY HISTORY
• REPRINTS
• COAL
• MILITARY PLANNING
• PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
• MILITARY OPERATIONS

Subject Categories:

• Humanities and History
• Military Operations, Strategy and Tactics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE