A new “carrier killer” missile that has become a symbol of China’s rising military might will not force the US Navy to change the way it operates in the Pacific, a senior Navy commander said.

Defense analysts say the Dong Feng 21D missile could upend the balance of power in Asia, where US aircraft carrier battle groups have ruled the waves since the end of World War II.

However, Vice Admiral Scott van Buskirk, commander of the US 7th Fleet, said that the Navy does not see the much-feared weapon as creating any insurmountable vulnerability for the US carriers — the Navy’s crown jewels.