The Case for Iowa 2.0
I. The Hole in the Fleet Every U.S. Carrier Strike Group (CSG) today is a masterpiece of airpower projection—100,000 tons of diplomacy, 90 aircraft, and a 600-mile reach. Yet when the Marines hit the beach, the gunfire dies. Since the last Iowa-class battleship was decommissioned in 1992, the Navy has had zero ships capable of sustained, high-volume, low-cost coastal bombardment. Tomahawks cost $2 million each. 5-inch guns reach 13 miles and carry 400 rounds. Zumwalt’s advanced guns sit idle—the $800,000 shells were canceled.In a Taiwan Strait scenario, the PLA could dig 100 miles of fortified coastline. Air wings…