Chinese advancements in the development of surface to air missiles could mark the beginning of the end of the era in which aircraft carriers rule the seas. A Feb. 22 report by the Center for a New American Security, a bipartisan think tank, concludes that “U.S. carriers will not be able to act with impunity in the event of a future conflict.” Chinese research and development has been focusing on development of short, medium, and long-range systems capable of knocking out the ships themselves, as well as the air wings that fly from their decks, the report concluded. The authors also noted that the manmade “islands” China is building in the South China Sea would serve as bases for such systems, greatly enhancing their range and potential lethality.