Wartime information warfare meant keeping the American scouting force alive and able to report. Kongō-class battlecruisers could threaten US cruisers gathering intelligence, while the planned Amagi class raised the danger further. The proposed American battlecruisers would cover reconnaissance and challenge the ships sent to disrupt it. The framework separates those tasks into information acquisition and information denial. Combining them made combat against enemy capital ships part of the Lexington requirement.
Chapter · 12:22-14:05
Scouting, information denial, and Japanese rivals
The class was meant to secure American scouting and contest Japanese battlecruisers such as the Kongōs and planned Amagis.