A close encounter with a Chinese aircraft carrier has become a badge of honor for a US Navy...

A close encounter with a Chinese aircraft carrier has become a point of pride for the crew of a US Navy destroyer, a top US admiral said Tuesday.

In April, the USS Mustin sailed within visual range of the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and then let the world know about it.

The operation was a testament to the "boldness" and skill of US sailors, Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener said at the Surface Navy Association's national symposium. And those sailors have reveled in the condemnation it drew from China, added Kitchener, who serves as the commander of US Navy surface forces and of surface forces in the Pacific.