This does not seem a very difficult thing for training to accomplish, but note the result: the hits are increased from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

In other words, by a decrease in errors in the relation of 9 to 8, the effective skill and the hits are doubled.
Conversely, if the errors increased in the ratio of 9 to 10, the misses would increase from 90 per cent to 100 per cent, and the hits would be reduced from 10 per cent to 0.
Suppose now that the conditions are so very difficult that only 1 per cent of hits is made, or 99 per cent of misses, and that by training the misses are reduced from 99 per cent to 98 per cent.
Clearly, by a decrease of errors of hardly more than 1 per cent the effective skill and the hits are doubled.
Conversely, if the errors increased in the ratio of 99 to 100, the misses would increase from 99 per cent to 100 per cent, and the hits would be reduced from 1 per cent to 0.
But suppose that the conditions are so easy that 90 per cent of hits are made and only 10 per cent of misses.

Clearly, if the errors were divided by 10, so that only 1 per cent of misses was made, instead of 10 per cent, the number of hits would increase only 9 per cent, from 90 per cent to 99 per cent.
Of course, this is merely an arithmetical way of expressing the ancient truths that skill becomes more and more important as the difficulties of handling an instrument increase; and that, no matter how effective an instrument may be when used with perfect skill, the actual result obtained in practice is only the product of its possible performance and the effective skill with which it is used.
Applying this idea to naval matters, we see why the very maximum of skill is required in our war mechanisms and war organizations, in their almost infinite variety and complexity.

The war mechanisms and war organizations of the military nations are capable of enormous results, but only when they are used with enormous skill.

There are no other instruments or organizations that need so much skill to handle them, because of the difficulties attending their use and the issues at stake.