Why drill requires discipline under fire

The Beiyang Fleet possessed imposing ships but relied on a Prussian army major, a Royal Navy Reserve officer, and an American mercenary for a mixed advisory structure. Many vessels were old or poorly maintained, while Japanese crews brought quick-firing guns and practiced collective routines. Drill makes correct action habitual under the sensory overload of combat. Claims that a force was both well drilled and ill disciplined are therefore contradictory because discipline is what lets the drill survive fear, noise, and confusion.