In China's Sights A new missile threatens the U.S. Navy's biggest warships-and stability in the Pacific

摘要

There are few things as awesome as a U.S. aircraft carrier-100,000 tons of nuclear-powered steel towering 20 stories above the waterline and crammed with nearly 70 warplanes ready to do its nation's bidding. A carrier reassures allies while giving pause to global troublemakers. For more than a half-century, these 1,000-ft. flattops and their 5,000-sailor crews have patrolled the seas with impunity. The Navy apparently believes they have a future too: it is building two new ones, at a cost of nearly $15 billion each, with a third in the pipeline. Admirals like to call a carrier "41/2 acres of sovereign American territory."