Published in 1906, this work was an astute critique of Mahan's The Influence of Sea Power on History (1890), which argued that naval supremacy was the precondition of military success. Frederick Jane (1865-1916) looks carefully at other factors that play a role in a nation's ability to prevail in conflicts.

In this 1906 work, Frederick Jane (1865-1916) questioned the widely accepted view that naval supremacy was a precondition of military success.