Halsey's Iowa-class battleships made activation less likely

A full battle line of three South Dakota-class ships, one North Carolina-class ship, and the two Iowa-class battleships would have possessed overwhelming firepower. The command design made that strength harder to release because Halsey's flagship New Jersey was part of the proposed force and Halsey expected to participate if it fought. Once he believed Kurita was retreating, he had little incentive to detach himself and his Iowa-class ships toward an encounter he did not expect to happen. A plan that omitted the Iowas could have left Halsey with the carrier fleet while sending Lee south with an independent four-battleship line. Force design and command incentives were the decisive issues because the ships could physically reach San Bernardino Strait. The wider consequences of such a victory remain uncertain.