A US Navy warship captain said the Red Sea conflict was a 'knife fight in a phone booth.' China would be way more challenging.

US Navy warships launched hundreds of missiles during the Red Sea conflict.

Screengrab via US Central Command

• America's conflict with the Houthis gave the US Navy a taste of high-tempo air defense operations.
• The Navy is using the conflict to inform planning for future maritime wars, like a clash with China.
• One warship captain said a fight in the Pacific would be vastly different from the Red Sea battle.

The US Navy's exhausting shootout with the Iran-backed...