King first received the less prestigious aircraft base force after antagonizing Chief of Naval Operations William Standley. Assignment politics had shaped his professional opportunity. Standley's successor William Leahy then gave him the seagoing aviation post he wanted: vice admiral commanding aircraft battle force with USS Saratoga as flagship. In 1938 King staged a successful simulated air attack on Pearl Harbor. His result corroborated Harry Yarnell's 1932 exercise and reinforced warnings about the base's vulnerability. This period is also credited with developing concepts that contributed to American fast-carrier operations in the Second World War, even though King's warnings did not secure his immediate advancement.
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King rehearsed a carrier attack on Pearl Harbor
Command of the carrier battle force let King test a successful 1938 air attack on Pearl Harbor and develop ideas later used by fast carrier forces.