| Abstract: | The impact of airpower on the conduct of naval operations was considerable. It affected the roles, perceived importance and composition of the battle fleet, but its transformational effect was gradual rather than instantaneous. Airpower played a crucial role in the information war that underlay maritime operations. Access to, and the exploitation of, information greatly influenced the way in which the Royal Navy managed the actual process of change, as institutional, cultural and political norms adapted to the new technological reality. The Admiralty's incomplete control of all aspects of maritime power does much to explain deficiencies in this process. |
