If they lob missiles at Taiwan or our allies then retreat to their ports, that' an act of war.
Second yes we can right now( while losing over 1/3 of our navy, and 1000 combat planes) win. But what about 2050 where they have implied that's when they will attack.
What if a progressive or a dove becomes president and stops to slash the navy to 100 ships, and we have to fight a 600 ship navy with more attack submarines than us.
Naval officers pray at the altar of “more ships.” We demand more of them, fantasize about new ways to use them, and assume that the fleet will only grow.
warontherocks.com