User:OnBeyondZebrax/sandbox/History of the US Navy - Post Cold War

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Navy fell apart, which made the United States the world's undisputed naval superpower. The ships of the Navy participated in a number of conflicts after the end of the Cold War. The Navy played a key role in the opening phases of the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq and battleships fired at targets in Kuwait.{{Harvnb|Sweetman|2002|pp=278–282}} In 1999, hundreds of Navy and Marine Corps aircraft flew thousands of sorties against targets in Serbia and Kosovo.{{Harvnb|Sweetman|2002|pp=302–303}}

In March 2007, the U.S. Navy reached its smallest fleet size, with 274 ships, since World War I. Former U.S. Navy admirals who head the U.S. Naval Institute have raised concerns about what they see as the ability to respond to 'aggressive moves by Iran and China.'{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Joshua |url=http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/04/navy-secnav-mabus-fleet-sea-air-space-041612/ |title=SECNAV: Navy can meet mission with 300 ships |work=Navy Times |date=16 April 2012 |accessdate=7 November 2012}}{{cite web |last=Freedberg |first=Sydney J., Jr. |url=http://defense.aol.com/2012/05/21/navy-strains-to-handle-both-china-and-iran-at-once/ |title=Navy Strains To Handle Both China And Iran At Once |work=Aol Defense |date=21 May 2012 |accessdate=7 November 2012}}