 The Taft Board made fire control improvements at several harbor defenses, and decided on new defenses in the three new territories as well as Los Angeles, California.Since the Japanese were building capital ships armed with guns, new weapons of this caliber were developed and emplaced in the four new defenses, though not at any existing defenses.In 1917, with World War I in progress and all major powers in possession of dreadnought battleships, the Army decided on a new type of battery.