[Generals Swept Out, Yet Rocket Force Targeted Again… Entire Procurement Network Now Under Scrutiny]

The Chinese military is once again being pulled into a massive vortex of purges. The Rocket Force—personally established by President Xi Jinping and nurtured as the core strategic force of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)—has come under intense scrutiny once again. Although top-ranking generals, including the highest leadership of the Rocket Force, have already fallen from grace one after another, the Chinese military has now publicly begun soliciting whistleblower reports regarding procurement graft ranging beyond weaponry to construction, food supplies, and medical products. How deep must corruption be rooted for the entire Rocket Force to be searched top-to-bottom even after years of purging generals?

Reuters reported that the All-PLA Military Procurement Website (軍隊採購網), the official procurement platform of the Chinese military, has publicly begun collecting reports on illegal acts committed during the procurement processes of Rocket Force units. This investigation targets the full spectrum of Rocket Force procurement, encompassing general materials, service contracts, and construction projects, as well as supplementary foodstuffs and medical equipment.

Reuters further highlighted that the scope is exceptionally broad, effectively covering every stage of procurement—from demand planning and bid evaluation to contract performance and online purchasing. Reports must be precise, backed by legally obtained evidence, and submitted by the end of November. This signals that the military is not merely re-investigating a few past contracts, but is completely overhauling the Rocket Force’s entire procurement system.

[How Did the ‘Strategic Fist’ Created Personally by Xi Jinping End Up in This State?]

The Rocket Force is no ordinary branch of the Chinese military. At the end of 2015, Xi Jinping elevated the former Second Artillery Corps into the Rocket Force, making it an independent service branch. It was groomed into a vital strategic force tasked with operating China's nuclear arsenal and conventional ballistic and cruise missiles, designed to block U.S. regional intervention in the event of a Taiwan contingency.

Yet, since 2023, the Rocket Force has turned into the epicenter of military purges. Investigations that began at the Rocket Force command expanded continuously to arms procurement organizations, defense industries, and the Central Military Commission (CMC). The fact that repeated purges are occurring within the very strategic force Xi personally fostered indicates that the issue extends beyond individual misconduct by a few officers to systemic flaws in organizational structure and procurement mechanisms.

[“Water Instead of Fuel in Missiles”… Has Corruption Eroded Actual Combat Readiness?]

Regarding this issue, Bloomberg reported that what makes the Rocket Force corruption particularly shocking is the concern that it may have compromised the actual reliability of weapons beyond simple financial graft. Citing sources familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments, Bloomberg noted that widespread corruption within the Chinese military is undermining Xi Jinping's military modernization efforts.

The Bloomberg report included U.S. intelligence assessments revealing that some Chinese missiles were filled with water instead of fuel, and that covers on certain missile silos in western China failed to function properly. While it must be made clear that these findings were based on U.S. intelligence evaluations rather than official confirmation from Beijing, they delivered a profound shock by demonstrating how corruption could directly degrade real-world warfighting capabilities.

Even more notable is that investigations into the Rocket Force remain unfinished even years later. Instead, the scope has expanded beyond weapon systems to include non-combat supplies, medical goods, construction, and services. This expansion points to the probability that corruption within the Rocket Force is far more extensive and pervasive than initially estimated.

[Sparks Originating in the Rocket Force Reach China’s No. 2 Military Officer]

Reuters noted that the blade of the purge has already moved beyond the Rocket Force to reach the absolute apex of the PLA command structure. China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and General Liu Zhenli, Chief of the Joint Staff Department, were put under investigation for serious disciplinary and legal violations.

Commentating on the development, the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) assessed that Zhang Youxia, in particular, was China's highest-ranking active general and long classified as a core military figure close to Xi Jinping. The downfall of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli marks the most dramatic measure yet in Xi Jinping’s years-long campaign to dismantle the PLA leadership.

[Over 100 Figures Missing… 87% of Generals Purged or Facing Purge]

The sheer scale of the purge underscores the severe command leadership turmoil facing the Chinese military. According to a Chinese military purge database developed by CSIS, senior PLA officers at or above the rank of lieutenant general have been officially purged or have vanished from public view, putting them in the potential purge category.

The statistics regarding top-tier general officers are even more staggering. CSIS highlighted that out of officers who held the rank of Full General (상장/上將) or were promoted to it, 87% have been purged or classified as potentially purged. CSIS noted that this indicates something far beyond removing a few corrupt generals; the top command tier of the PLA itself is undergoing a total overhaul.

Out of core PLA leadership positions tracked by CSIS, only a small fraction remained normally filled. The remaining positions were either vacant or occupied by individuals who had been purged or went missing. This indicates that the Chinese military is not merely conducting an anti-corruption drive, but is effectively rebuilding its supreme command system from scratch.

[Undermining Combat Effectiveness While Trying to Catch Corruption?]

This is where Xi Jinping’s dilemma begins. Leaving corrupt officers in place makes it impossible to trust missiles, weapons systems, and supply networks. Conversely, continuously removing generals and operational commanders inevitably shakes the chain of command and organizational stability. The Rocket Force bears responsibility for China’s nuclear deterrence and long-range precision strike capabilities. If commanders are repeatedly replaced and sweeping investigations into procurement networks drag on, it will inevitably place immense pressure on command and control, war planning, equipment management, and overall logistics. CSIS similarly noted that the ongoing purges are delivering an unprecedented shock to PLA leadership and organizational operations.

[Why Target the Rocket Force Again?]

Ultimately, the most critical question surrounding this episode is: why is the Chinese military digging into the Rocket Force's procurement network once again, even after removing so many generals and completely replacing its command structure?

Reuters suggested that the most direct answer is that the corruption within the Rocket Force is likely far deeper and more structural than initially anticipated. This time, the investigation goes beyond missile and arms purchases to invite tips on construction, services, general supplies, food items, and medical goods. This implies an intent to trace the roots of corruption down to the daily procurement networks at the grass-roots level, rather than stopping at headquarters.

Reuters further explained that at the same time, the political context cannot be ignored as China approaches the upcoming National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Amid upcoming large-scale military reshuffles, anti-corruption investigations may serve as a tool to vet the background, networks, and potential misconduct of promotion candidates.

[The Rocket Force Crisis is Ultimately a Crisis for 'Xi Jinping's Military Reform']

The true significance of this fresh Rocket Force investigation does not lie in how many more generals will be dragged away. The Rocket Force is the ultimate symbol of Xi Jinping’s military reform. By expanding and restructuring the former Second Artillery Corps into the Rocket Force, Xi built China's nuclear and missile capabilities into a core strategic asset capable of confronting the United States.

Yet years later, leaders within the very strategic force he created are vanishing one after another, supreme command figures have been purged, and the military is opening public tip lines to search the entire procurement network. The purge has dragged on too long to claim that anti-corruption efforts have succeeded; conversely, internal trust issues inside the PLA have grown too vast to stop purging.

It all boils down to a single question: Can Xi Jinping truly trust the Rocket Force he created? Moving further, how far can he trust the commanders, reports, and weapon systems of today's People's Liberation Army? Ignoring corruption leaves the weapons untrustworthy; continuing the purges leaves the commanders untrustworthy. This is the fundamental dilemma facing Xi Jinping's Chinese military today.

[Why Times Insight]

What frightens Xi Jinping most right now is neither the United States nor Taiwan. It is an internal crisis of trust—the uncertainty over whether the PLA will actually execute orders as planned when issued, or whether missiles will launch properly when the button is pushed.

The Rocket Force is the military’s ultimate "strategic fist," launched directly by Xi with vast budget allocations and political authority. Yet the very generals commanding that fist have been purged in succession, and even after years of turning the military upside down, corruption remains so persistent that authorities must re-examine everything down to food and medical procurement.

Even more serious is the paradox of the purge. Leaving corruption unaddressed renders weapons unreliable; purging generals continuously renders commanders unreliable. Ultimately, Xi Jinping is trapped in a dilemma where the very purges initiated to build a stronger military are constantly destabilizing the PLA's chain of command. Thus, the essence of the Rocket Force affair is not about how many more generals get arrested. It is whether China's commander-in-chief can trust his core strategic force enough to issue a command for war.

No matter how vast the missile inventory, if commanders cannot be trusted, procured weapons cannot be relied upon, and reported combat readiness must be second-guessed, it is a far cry from a world-class military force. If Xi Jinping has taken pride in creating China’s strongest military, the ongoing Rocket Force purge represents the most painful paradox of that military rise. The strongest spear forged by Xi Jinping is now being doubted by Xi Jinping himself.