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| Rocket Force (People's Liberation Army) | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Rocket Force (People's Liberation Army) |
| Native name | 中国人民解放军火箭军 |
| Caption | Emblem of the Rocket Force |
| Dates | 2015–present |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Branch | People's Liberation Army |
| Type | Strategic and Tactical Missile Force |
| Role | Deterrence, Strike, Regional Precision Fire |
| Garrison | Beijing |
| Nickname | Second Artillery Corps (former) |
| Commander | General Li Yuchao |
Rocket Force (People's Liberation Army) is the strategic and operational missile force of the People's Liberation Army responsible for land-based ballistic and cruise missile operations. Established from the transformation of the Second Artillery Corps, the Rocket Force integrates nuclear and conventional strike capabilities to support national defense, strategic deterrence, and theater operations. It operates under the Central Military Commission and coordinates with the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, People's Liberation Army Navy, and People's Liberation Army Air Force.
The Rocket Force traces its institutional lineage to the Second Artillery Corps and earlier missile programs developed during the Cold War era. Key milestones include deployment of the DF-1, DF-2, and subsequent DF-3 systems during the 1960s and 1970s, interaction with the Sino-Soviet split, and doctrinal evolution through the Reform and Opening Up period. The transformation from the Second Artillery Corps into the Rocket Force was announced at the Central Military Commission (China) reforms in 2015, reflecting parallels with restructuring initiatives such as the People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps expansion and the establishment of the PLA Strategic Support Force. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, modernization efforts paralleled strategic dialogues like the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue and were shaped by events including the Taiwan Strait Crisis episodes and regional arms developments.
The Rocket Force is organized into theater-oriented missile bases aligned with the Central Military Commission (China) theater commands and regional military districts. Subordinate formations include missile brigades and support units analogous to brigades in the People's Liberation Army Ground Force and expeditionary elements interacting with the People's Liberation Army Navy. Command relationships involve the Central Military Commission leadership and coordination with logistics organizations such as the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force. The force employs a hierarchical staff system influenced by reforms in the Central Military Commission Joint Staff Department and maintains specialized departments for operations, intelligence, technical support, and political work consistent with PLA structures.
The Rocket Force's mission includes strategic nuclear deterrence, conventional precision strikes, and preemptive counterforce operations supporting Chinese national defense policy and regional security objectives. It provides persistent strategic options alongside the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) sea-based deterrent and the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) air-leg forces. Capabilities encompass silo-based and road-mobile delivery systems, rapid survivability tactics reminiscent of mobile intercontinental ballistic missile doctrines, and integrated use with space and cyber assets of the PLA Strategic Support Force. Operational doctrine reflects influences from strategic concepts discussed in venues such as the Central Military Commission briefings and writings by PLA strategists.
Weapons in service include land-based ballistic missiles such as the DF-5, DF-21, DF-26, and DF-41, short- and medium-range systems like the DF-15, and road-mobile systems comparable to those fielded during modernization drives. The Rocket Force also fields cruise missiles including variants akin to the CJ-10 family and enhanced command, control, and intelligence from systems interoperable with assets like the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. Support equipment includes transporter erector launchers, silo complexes, hardened command centers, and mobile logistics systems developed alongside industrial partners such as the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.
Personnel recruitment, political work, and professional military education are conducted through institutions comparable to the PLA National Defence University and specialized Rocket Force academies. Training emphasizes missile crews, launch control procedures, nuclear surety, and joint operations with forces such as the People's Liberation Army Navy fleets and People's Liberation Army Air Force units. Exercises and readiness drills have included live-launch training ranges, strategic alert rotations, and coordination with units in the Northern Theater Command and Southern Theater Command, reflecting interoperability objectives similar to those demonstrated in multinational exercises like Vostok and regional drills observed by neighboring states.
Modernization efforts have accelerated since the 1990s, with significant procurement and development programs producing more survivable road-mobile systems and multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) capable missiles. Developments parallel initiatives in the China Manned Space Program and collaborations with state-owned enterprises such as Aero Engine Corporation of China for propulsion technology. Investment priorities include hardened silos, improved command and control, precision guidance advances leveraging BeiDou, and expansions in force structure evident in PLA white papers and analyses from institutes like the China Institute for International Strategic Studies.
The Rocket Force operates within a declared nuclear policy framework emphasizing deterrence and has been publicly associated with positions such as no-first-use articulated by the People's Republic of China leadership and codified in official white papers. Its posture influences regional security dynamics involving actors like the United States, Russian Federation, India, Japan, and Republic of Korea, and is regularly discussed in forums such as United Nations disarmament meetings and bilateral strategic dialogues. Arms control debates involving delivery systems and missile defenses—such as the Missile Defense discussions and bilateral confidence-building measures—affect perceptions of the Rocket Force's role in strategic stability.
Category:People's Liberation Army Category:Military units and formations established in 2015