Rabaul and the Bismarck Sea show the logic of combined air-sea power

What should be learned from both sides launching combined naval and air battles around Rabaul and the Bismarck Sea?

They were using the strongest available combination of forces; air-sea coordination works when it reaches the right place at the right time.

The two operations occurred only months apart, but their timing does not imply an unusual shared doctrine. Air power and sea power were simply the major forces available to each side for an important maritime operation. Coordinating them maximized combat power at the decisive place. Success still depended on finding the enemy and concentrating at the right time; failure in either element could unravel the whole operation.