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World War 1 Essay

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In today’s digital age, development of new technology and weapons are at an alarming rate, hence arises the need to stay ahead of advancements in order to properly defend the nation, as well as coalition forces and allies. In this period of warfare, the number one threat comes in the form of air breathing and ballistic missiles. During World War II, this threat was present, but was not thought to be prevalent. Following World War I, and into the beginning of World War II, the United States of America was still recuperating from the first war, and therefore did not engage. The focus was reestablishing the military in the form of personnel and equipment. It was becoming evident that the forward shift in technology was forcing …show more content…

Unfortunately, the officer on duty ignored the warning. Had he not, the attack on Pearl Harbor could have been less severe, if not countered completely. In addition, the task of almost the entirety of the air defense of Pearl Harbor fell upon the United States Navy and the United States Air Corp, despite the 16th Coast Artillery Regiment having eighty-two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns, twenty 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, and one hundred and nine .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine guns. The Army Air Corp’s P-36 and P-40 pursuit planes were the main deterrent to enemy aircraft, unfortunately, this was the target of the Japanese Naval Fleet (Anti-aircraft). At the end of the attack, only a few P-36’s were able to escape the barrage of bullets and bombs, and managed to destroy ten of the Japanese Zero’s, while the 16th Coast Artillery Regiment brought down six. Ironically, four years prior, in June of 1937, the United States War Department began drafting a plan to increase the continental anti-aircraft artillery due to rising tensions with Japan, yet was not approved until late 1940. The plan called for increasing the number of 3-inch guns from 135 to 472, as well as increasing the number of regiments to 80, which would account for roughly 4,000,000 service men, solely for the defense of the continental United States. The Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, approved the project for Pearl Harbor, which would increase

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