Believe it or not, the largest naval force in the world is not the United States Navy. That distinction belongs to the People's Liberation Army of China. The PLA Navy currently boasts an inventory of 355 warships, and that number is expected to grow to 460 by 2030. This increases the pressure on the US to develop and expand its own fleet so that it can continue to compete with its major adversaries. Hence the recent debut of the USS Gerald Ford, America's first new transitional aircraft carrier in more than 40 years.