Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

PLA Rocket Force Second Artillery Corps Introduction Order of Battle History Uniforms ICBM Theater Missiles ICBM / IRBM Facilities
ORBAT as of 2005
General Staff Department
Base 51	Base 52
810 Launch BDE	807 Launch BDE
U/I Mobile BDE	811 Launch BDE
U/I BDE	815 Launch BDE
U/I BDE	817 Launch BDE
	U/I Mobile BDE
	U/I BDE
	U/I BDE
Base 53	Base 54
802 Launch BDE	801 Launch BDE
808 Launch BDE	804 Launch BDE
U/I BDE	813 Launch BDE
	U/I BDE
Base 55	Base 56
803 Launch BDE	809 Launch BDE
805 Launch BDE	812 Launch BDE
U/I Launch BDE
Testing Base 22	U/I Training Base

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), on 31 July 2023 presented certificates of order to promote the commander of the rocket force Wang Houbin, former deputy commander of the navy, and its political commissar Xu Xisheng to the rank of general. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the CMC, announced the order of promotion, which was signed by Xi. He Weidong, another CMC vice chairman, presided over the ceremony. Xi extended his congratulations to the officers. Later, Xi and other leaders had group photos with them. General is the highest rank for officers in active service in China. Wang Houbin, who was born in the Communist Navy, was the first commander who was not promoted from within the Rocket Army.

Judging from Wang Houbin's appointment as the commander of the Rocket Army, it shows that Li Yuchao is no longer the commander of the Rocket Army. It also seems to indirectly confirm that the South China Morning Post reported that Li Yuchao has been investigated and taken away by the investigators of the anti-corruption agency of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China.

South China Morning Post quoted sources as saying that the anti-corruption and discipline inspection unit within the CCP was investigating relevant high-level personnel of the PLA Rocket Force, including Commander Li Yuchao, Deputy Commander Liu Guangbin, and former Deputy Commander and current CCP Central Military Commission Joint Chiefs Officer. Zhang Zhenzhong, the deputy chief of staff of the staff department, and others. According to the report, the relevant investigation was launched after Wei Fenghe stepped down as the Minister of Defense of the Mainland in March this year; although the official did not release the information publicly, the above-mentioned three people have been taken away by the investigators.

Wang Houbin had served in the navy for a long time. He served as deputy chief of staff of the East China Sea Fleet and deputy commander of Zhoushan Base, chief of staff of the South China Sea Fleet, deputy chief of staff of the Navy, and member of the Standing Committee of the Navy Party Committee. In 2019, Wang Houbin was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.

Xu Xisheng has been responsible for political work in the Air Force system for a long time. He has served as the political commissar of the Fuzhou Command Post of the Air Force, the former director of the Air Force Political Work Department of the Beijing Military Region, and the director of the Air Force Political Work Department of the Central Theater Command. In 2018, Xu Xisheng was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.

On 10 February 2023, Xu Xisheng, who served as the deputy political commissar of the Southern Theater Command and political commissar of the Air Force of the Southern Theater Command at that time, said that Chinese-style modernization is the road to success and revival explored by the party leadership. The best practice is the people, the people are the country", giving people the power of faith and the power to forge ahead. As far as our army is concerned, it is necessary to have the courage to fight against wind and waves and risks, to anchor the determination map and road map, and to go on unswervingly.

People's Republic of China formed the Second Artillery Force in 1966, the predecessor of the modern People's Liberation Army Rocket Army. Initially, this force deployed only a small number of nuclear-capable medium-range ballistic missiles and medium-range ballistic missiles. Over the years, with the addition of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in 1981 and the introduction of the DF-21 (China's first truly mobile missile system) in the late 1980s, the size of this unit has continued to expand.

It can be learned from various sources that by 2005 the Second Artillery Force had six missile group armies (missile bases), with the exception of the Beijing Military Region, each of which is deployed in the other military regions. Each group army (base) governs several brigades, each brigade is equipped with one type of missile and each governs 3-6 missile battalions. Each battalion has three missile companies, and each company has three missile platoons. A launcher equips a company or a platoon, depending on the type of missile. Therefore, a missile brigade may have 9 to 54 sets of launchers. The number of missiles may be greater than the number of launchers, usually 20-25% more.

The Beijing Military Region has built an underground tunnel system for the Second Artillery, which can hide any number of launchers, especially mobile launchers, as well as missiles and warheads, but there is no even close information in this regard. Therefore, only the six missile bases with some news can be discussed.

The 51st base is located in the Shenyang Military Region and has jurisdiction over the 806th Brigade (Dongfeng-31), 810th Brigade (Dongfeng-3A), 816th Brigade (Dongfeng-15) and 822th Brigade (Dongfeng-21).

The 52nd base is located in the Nanjing Military Region and has jurisdiction over the 807th Brigade (Dongfeng-21), 811th Brigade (Dongfeng-21), 815th Brigade (Dongfeng-15B), 817th Brigade (Dongfeng-15), 818th Brigade (Dongfeng-11A), 819 Brigade (Dongfeng-15) and 820 Brigade (Dongfeng-15).

The 53rd base is located in the Chengdu Military Region and has jurisdiction over the 802th Brigade (Dongfeng-21), 808th Brigade (Dongfeng-21) and 821th Brigade (Donghai-10 Cruise Missile).

The 54th base is located in the Jinan Military Region and has jurisdiction over the 801th Brigade (Dongfeng-5A), 804th Brigade (Dongfeng-5A) and 813th Brigade (Dongfeng-31A).

The 55th base is located in the Guangzhou Military Region and has jurisdiction over the 803rd Brigade (Dongfeng-5A), 805th Brigade (Dongfeng-4), 814th Brigade (Dongfeng-4) and 824th Brigade (Donghai-10).

The 56th base is located in the Lanzhou Military Region and has jurisdiction over the 809th Brigade (Dongfeng-21), 812th Brigade (Dongfeng-31A) and 823th Brigade (Dongfeng-21).

Judging from the number of missile brigades, possible compilations and various data, the number of second artillery missile launchers is likely to be: 30-36 sets of Dongfeng-5, 18-30 sets of Dongfeng-4, 9-30 sets of Dongfeng-3 48 sets of Dongfeng-31 (including 30 sets of Dongfeng-31A), 88 sets of Dongfeng-21, 24-45 sets of Dongfeng-15, 36 sets of Dongfeng-11A, 18 sets of Donghai-10. The number of warheads (assuming the same number of launchers) is 367-439. If you add 25% of the backup missiles in the base, the number of missiles may reach about 45 Dongfeng-5, 36 Dongfeng-4, 30 Dongfeng-3A, 60 Dongfeng-31 (including 36 Dongfeng-31A), 110 Dongfeng-21, 60 Dongfeng-15, 45 Dongfeng-11, 70 Donghai-10. In this way, the number of warheads will reach 528.

As of 2005 there were three types of Chinese intercontinental ballistic missiles: Dongfeng-5 (range 7500-15000 kilometers), Dongfeng-31 / 31A (range 7000-12000 kilometers), Dongfeng-4 (range 5500-7000 kilometers). The specific range of intercontinental ballistic missiles depends on the combat load. The old Dongfeng-5 and Dongfeng-31 replacing it are truly intercontinental ballistic missiles that are used to destroy US domestic targets, and Dongfeng-31A is the first type in China and is currently the only multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile. Carry 3 warheads. Dongfeng-4 is actually a medium-range missile used to attack European targets in Russia, so it has an informal name "Moscow missile". In theory, Dongfeng-4 can also hit Europe, but it is conceivable that war between China and European countries is completely impossible. The Dongfeng-41 intercontinental ballistic missile being tested by China can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads with a range of 14,000 kilometers.

There are two types of Chinese medium-range ballistic missiles: Dongfeng-3A (range of about 3000 kilometers) and Dongfeng-21 (range of 2000-3000 kilometers). These medium-range ballistic missiles are used to destroy targets in Russia, India and Japan. Dongfeng-3A is being retired and gradually replaced by Dongfeng-21. Dongfeng-21 has several improved models, including the world's first anti-ship ballistic missile used to attack large surface warships, especially aircraft carriers.

There are two types of battle tactics and tactical missiles: Dongfeng-11 (range 300-800 kilometers) and Dongfeng-15 (range 600 kilometers). The Dongfeng-15 and Dongfeng-11 missiles are almost exclusively used to attack targets in Taiwan. Most of them are equipped with the 52nd Army, and a few are equipped with the 816th Brigade of the 51st Army, targeting the area from Vladivostok to Ussuriysk in Russia. , And the Korean Peninsula. Most of the similar missiles are assigned to the Chinese Army.

The East China Sea-10 cruise missile has a maximum range of 4000 kilometers. It was developed by combining the Russian Kh-55 and the US "Tomahawk" technology, and is a new type of weapon equipped by the Second Artillery. A large number of similar missiles are mainly equipped with the Chinese Army. Each mobile launcher carries three missiles and is a major component of China's land-based, air-based, sea-based, and shore-based cruise missile families.

Among all the above-mentioned missiles, Dongfeng-5, Dongfeng-4 intercontinental ballistic missiles and Dongfeng-3 medium-range ballistic missiles use well-based launchers, and the remaining missiles use mobile launchers.

Most of the grassroots units of the Second Artillery Corps were hidden in the ravines and the Gobi Desert. The conditions were harsh and the discipline was strict. In the early 1990s, the Second Artillery Corps began to build conventional missile forces, accounting for about 1/4 of the troop establishment, and developed the combat theory of "conventional missile assault campaign". During the military parade in September 2015, Dongfeng-21D and Dongfeng-26 two medium- and long-range anti-ship ballistic missiles were unveiled, and they were the only two anti-ship ballistic missiles that were exclusively installed worldwide.

Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said: "China has always pursued a policy of not using nuclear weapons first and adheres to a nuclear strategy of self-defense defense. Nuclear forces have always maintained the minimum level necessary to maintain national security. China's nuclear policy and nuclear strategy are consistent, Nothing has changed."