Mayday: The Decline of American Naval Supremacy

A naval expert charts the rise and fall of America's maritime supremacy—and what it means for the future of U.S. security and prosperity.

As with other powerful nations throughout history, maritime supremacy has been the key to America's superpower status and the relative peace of the postwar era. But in the twenty-first century, the United States Navy's combat fleet has dwindled to historic lows—the smallest since before World War I. At the same time, rival nations such as China have in...