Maritime principles remain useful through technological change

Corbett and Cable offer guidelines for employing capabilities whose future forms they could not know. The contrast between Lord Nelson-class predreadnoughts and the Nelson class illustrates the speed and scale of change in warship design. Cable lived through the arrival of nuclear weapons. Their works address why and how naval capabilities might be used, without prescribing fixed numbers for every future fleet. Modern ships and aircraft also combine complex systems that require detailed planning, design, and preparation. That work takes time, so identifying likely missions has to precede the final choice of equipment.