Defense Digest: U.S. Battleship History, Marine Corps General Officer Evaluation, and Indo-Pacific Ally Wariness

Historic Battleships: USS Idaho and USS Washington

The U.S. Navy bought the New Mexico-class battleship USS Idaho for $7.25 million in 1914. She carried twelve 14-inch main guns for 27 years, earned 7 battle stars, and never fought an enemy battleship.^[1] According to the src-1 headline, Idaho's only possible chance to engage Yamato came in April 1945, but carrier aircraft sank Yamato first.^[1]

The North Carolina-class battleship USS Washington displaced 44,800 tons, was 728 feet long, mounted nine 16-inch main guns, and fired a broadside weighing 24,300 pounds.^[5] She fired 75 16-inch shells at another battleship from under 5 miles, and not one Japanese shell hit her hull.^[5] She earned 13 battle stars, survived a 1944 collision with USS Indiana, and, unlike the Iowa class, was never reactivated; the Navy sold her for scrap in 1961.^[5]

Marine Corps General Officer Evaluation

Following Pentagon guidelines, the U.S. Marine Corps is developing and testing its own Joint Warfighter Evaluation, aimed at future generals.^[2]

Iran's Armor and T-90 Purchase Reports

Iran's armor still mixes U.S.-made M60s, British Chieftains, hundreds of T-72S tanks, and the domestically produced Zulfiqar.^[3] A reported $10 billion Russian package did not produce a T-90 deal; the T-90's performance in Ukraine has made claims about what problems it could solve even more complicated.^[3]

Indo-Pacific Ally Signals

U.S. military allies in the Indo-Pacific are wary of U.S. President Donald Trump's apparent overtures to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.^[4]