A new Pentagon report shows major increases in China's missile stockpiles, including the DF-26, sometimes referred to as a "carrier killer."
Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles are a threat to US warships, and their use would escalate any conflict.
Carriers are still the centerpiece of the US fleet, but a stronger China and tighter budgets mean rethinking how they're designed and used.
Chinese troops have been practicing conducting multi-wave strikes with DF-26 ballistic missiles in a series of late night exercises.
The head of Indo-Pacific Command said the move was intended to sharpen China's "warfighting skills and send an unmistakable message."
Recent missiles tests by Russia and China underscore those countries' efforts to challenge US aircraft carriers' longstanding dominance at sea.
DF-26B and DF-21D missiles launched in August struck a moving vessel in the South China Sea, according to former Chinese Senior Col. Wang Xiangsui.
A report from University of Sydney researchers found that Chinese missiles could overwhelm US forces in the region and make a countermove too costly.
China's military is seen as a master at concealing its intentions, but there is no secret about how it plans to destroy US aircraft carriers in a war.
China could do incredible damage with a sucker punch, but the US and its allies could do a lot to mitigate the effects and to strike back with force.
China may be in the midst of one of the dumbest military moves of the 21st century if its own rhetoric on naval warfare is to be trusted.
The unprecedented video offered a treasure trove of military intelligence to the US about the DF-26, including that US carriers are at grave risk.
China could strike the US Navy's carriers in waters near its shores, but that would start a war that Beijing wouldn't win, experts say.
The Navy's current carrier aircraft have shorter ranges than their predecessors, and some of them are pulling double duty as tanker aircraft, so the service is looking for an unmanned replacement.
"The beauty of the aircraft carrier is that you can radically and dramatically change the weapons systems by never entering the shipping yard," McGrath told Business Insider. Instead of installing new missiles or guns, you simply fly old aircraft off, and fly on new jets.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group carried out more missile tests and anti-submarine exercises than ever before.
"If you're looking at warfare two-dimensionally, you're looking at it wrong," said David Berke. "You don't beat me in a boxing match 'cause your arms are longer."
Rising anti-access/area-denial threats from Russia and China could possibly explain the Navy's rush for an as-of-yet non-existant platform.
The addition of a flying, unmanned tanker that could have some stealth integrated would "provide more legs, more reach for both the F-18 and the F-35."