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The article examines the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy's aircraft carrier task force as a means to explain the surprise nature of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during World War II. The deployment of Japanese military aircraft is emphasized. The author compares Pearl Harbor to the strike on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, as a means to demonstrate how rapid advances in an enemy's military doctrine can lead to devastating attacks.

A biography of U.S. naval officer Lieutenant John William Steele is presented, with emphasis given to the effects of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during World War II on his military career. While Steele's naval aviation training and health problems are explained, emphasis is given to his knowledge of the Japanese language and his promotion to lieutenant commander. He translated Japanese documents during the U.S. assault on the Solomon Islands.