Single-weapon forces fail the combined-arms test

A force built entirely around bombers would lack fighters, maritime-patrol aircraft, and transports, while an army made only of artillery would lack the supporting forces needed to find targets, hold ground, protect its guns, and sustain them. Artillery supports infantry holding a position and armor advancing, and counter-battery fire protects the supply system from enemy guns. Those forces in turn help artillery operate effectively. An opponent could suppress the isolated guns with its own artillery, advance with armor and air support, and use infantry to hold the captured positions. Weapons that perform well by simple accounting measures still depend on an integrated force. A navy concentrated around torpedo boats would face the same problem when it needed capabilities its chosen weapon could not provide.