The U.S. Navy’s newest warships, the Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers, are undergoing a major mission change. Once meant to support land forces by bombarding targets dozens of miles inland, the destroyers will now hunt enemy warships for a living. The change reflects a shift in strategic realities as the Russian and Chinese navies grow larger and more powerful. Way back in the 2000s, the U.S. Navy decided it wanted a new class of destroyer that could support the land wars of the post 9/11 era. The end of the Cold War had ended the Soviet Navy, and many of those ships that survived to become part of the Russian Navy were scrapped or laid up due to lack of funds for maintenance. The U.S. Navy was the undisputed master of the seas with no peer competitor on the horizon, and the sea service turned its attention inland.