COAST DEFENSE

covering all those military and naval preparations made for the protection of the country against a po ible foreign invasion from the sea. The distinction between ‘coast defenses’ and coast defense must be emphasized, the former being only those works established at strategic points along the coast, usually overlooking po ible landing places and harbors, while the latter usually includes a large part of the naval establishment as well. It is usually the heavier ve els, such as those of the monitor type, and the lighter ve els, such as submarines, torpedo boats, torpedo boat chasers, etc., which are devoted to the. coast defense service. It is seldom that one of these ve els is a igned to general or overseas service, as was done during the Spanish-American War, when the monitor ‘Monadnac’ was sent acro the Pacific to the Philippines. Besides ve els of war, coast defense also includes systems of submarine mines and other methods of obstructing approaches to landing places and harbors. A portion of the army may also be a igned to that service, including not only artillery, but infantry and cavalry, in the form of mobile reserves which may be gathered to repel landings. In Great Britain the supreme responsibility for coast defense devolves on the naval authorities, while in Germany before the World War the army was responsible. In the United States the army and navy are jointly responsible, in several major divisions, under a chief of staff.