Writing the New Glory of a Great Power's Long Sword — On the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Strategic Missile Forces Formation

Sixty years of vigorous progress, a century of sharpening swords to strengthen the military.

On July 1, 1966, the Second Artillery Corps of the People's Liberation Army of China was officially established. This was a historic choice made by the new China to respond to nuclear threats, break the nuclear monopoly, and safeguard national security.

On December 31, 2015, President Xi Jinping personally awarded the military flag to the Rocket Force and delivered a speech, marking the beginning of a new journey in the construction and development of the Rocket Force.

The transition from the Second Artillery Corps to the Rocket Force has placed heavy responsibilities on the strategic missile forces, which have forged ahead and successfully completed various tasks assigned by the Party and the people, playing an important role in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

President Xi emphasized: “We must deeply implement the strong military thought of the new era, adhere to the military strategic guidelines of the new era, grasp the characteristics and laws of the construction and operational use of strategic missile forces, uphold political leadership, strengthen mission responsibility, work diligently, promote high-quality development of troop construction, enhance strategic deterrence and combat capabilities, and resolutely complete all tasks assigned by the Party and the people.”

With earnest expectations, we are motivated to advance. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping's strong military thought, the officers and soldiers of the Rocket Force are accelerating the enhancement of strategic deterrence and combat capabilities in accordance with the strategic requirements of “nuclear and conventional capabilities combined, deterrence across all domains,” marching proudly towards the goal of building a world-class strategic military branch.

With unwavering resolve, forging swords and shields for the nation

More than 60 years ago, a thunderous roar echoed across the northwestern desert as the first domestically produced surface-to-surface missile was successfully launched!

This missile was hailed as the “spirit missile,” breaking the external prediction that “China's missiles would never reach the sky,” and was later named “Dongfeng-1.”

At that time, facing a severe international situation, a group of soldiers, just emerging from the smoke of war, quietly boarded a special train without informing their parents or wives and children, heading north to form the country's first surface-to-surface missile unit, thus taking root in the desert and embarking on the pioneering path of forging swords for the nation.

“When one hides their name and works on earth-shattering matters!” Looking back at those years of pioneering in the Gobi Desert, the eyes of Liu Guanghua, the first signalman of the strategic missile forces, still shine with the unwavering sincerity of sixty years.

Back then, countless predecessors turned patches of Gobi desert into their eternal “camps.” Decades later, a similar scene was reenacted in the strategic missile forces. Accompanied by the surging tide of military strength, officers and soldiers of a certain unit of the Rocket Force received an order to cross thousands of miles, and no one made conditions, sought excuses, or raised difficulties; they packed their bags and set off, becoming the “hidden names” of the new era.

On the eve of “July 1” this year, over a hundred party members gathered at a position in a certain base of the Rocket Force to listen to the touching story of He Xianjue, a “model Communist Party member dedicated to national defense technology.” “His whole life was devoted to learning and practicing the spirit of ‘two bombs and one satellite,’ inspiring and motivating us to be good successors of the red tradition.”

In the 1960s, He Xianjue graduated from Northwestern Polytechnical University with great enthusiasm and devoted himself to missile weapon development. As the main operator, he participated in the testing of the country's first hydrogen bomb. He dedicated his life to making significant contributions to the automated management of strategic weapons.

Turning the pages of the rich history of the strategic missile forces, the spirit of “two bombs and one satellite” has long been continuously promoted within this unit, constantly infused with new connotations, leaving a substantial spiritual wealth for the officers and soldiers of the new era Rocket Force.

In the grand journey of 60 years, generations of Rocket Force officers and soldiers have vigorously promoted the spirit of determination to win, maintaining the lofty fighting spirit of revolutionary heroism, writing the song of a strong military with their youth and blood, and engraving loyalty and mission on the land of the motherland—

In August 2022, the Eastern Theater Command conducted realistic joint training exercises, and the Rocket Force organized a conventional missile live-fire test in the eastern waters of Taiwan Island, verifying precision strike and area denial capabilities; on September 25, 2024, the Rocket Force successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a training simulation warhead into the relevant high seas of the Pacific, accurately landing in the designated sea area… The flame of the torch remains unextinguished, the original intention unchanged, as generations of sword-forgers continue to move forward.

In recent years, under the guidance of Xi Jinping's strong military thought, the Rocket Force has steadfastly promoted political training, with the vast majority of officers and soldiers continuously honing their political loyalty, resolutely ensuring that their thoughts do not deviate and their missiles do not stray.

“To the missile, salute!” In front of the missile vehicle, a group of young soldiers raised their right hands, reporting to the towering national sword. This was the “first lesson” organized by a certain brigade of the Rocket Force for the newly enlisted soldiers during their induction ceremony. Behind them, a large phrase reading “absolute loyalty, absolute purity, absolute reliability” shone brightly.

One solemn military salute, one resounding oath. The officers and soldiers of the Rocket Force always remember their mission, firmly believing in the unwavering conviction of “I operate the missile, I listen to the Party's command,” forging the great nation's reputation with their nameless contributions.

Tempered through trials, forging a winning iron fist

Entering the “First Conventional Missile Brigade,” the readiness duty room is filled with the “smell of gunpowder,” and missile launch vehicles are ready for action downstairs.

“Signalmen, take your positions!” With a command, the missile signalmen quickly rushed to their respective positions, engaging in a focused and intensive training session on difficult tasks. Under the launch platform, the signalmen skillfully operated, quickly responding to various emergencies. The brigade leader said: “The training ground is the battlefield; we must focus on sharpening our swords and dare to show our swords, lifting the ‘long sword’ into the sky.”

Looking across the land of the motherland, a vibrant “sword-forging picture” is unfolding.

On the training ground of the Gobi Desert, a certain missile brigade conducted cross-regional maneuvers, honing their all-domain combat capabilities; in the southern dense forests, a certain brigade regularly conducted random launch training, tempering themselves into steel amidst the smoke of real combat; on the target range of the northwestern plateau, a certain unit's officers and soldiers fought continuously for several months, successfully completing multiple live-fire launch tasks…

Being able to fight and win is essential for a strong military; the people's army is always a combat force, and the vitality of the people's army lies in its combat capability.

Stepping into the new era, the officers and soldiers of the Rocket Force focus all their thoughts on combat, putting all their efforts into combat readiness, carefully forging swords, diligently sharpening swords, and skillfully displaying swords, transitioning from fixed launches to mobile launches, from opportunistic launches to random launches, from live-fire launches to combat launches, continuously achieving capability transformation and upgrades.

They remain vigilant and ready, enhancing combat effectiveness through practical training—

“Doo doo doo!” A series of urgent whistle sounds suddenly rang out, and various types of vehicles from a certain brigade of the Rocket Force moved swiftly, initiating a firepower assault training.

“The vertical arm cannot be deployed!” In the face of an unexpected emergency, the launch unit immediately organized a response. Unexpectedly, multiple emergencies followed: “The signalman was injured in an attack,” “The fuel tank was punctured” … Whether they can effectively respond to these situations is a severe test of their comprehensive support capabilities. Soon, the maintenance team arrived on site to carry out emergency repairs, and the medical team urgently treated and transported the “injured” … All support elements of the brigade acted swiftly, and before long, the emergencies were resolved. The brigade leader remarked: “In the future battlefield, every element is an indispensable link in the combat chain.”

To ensure reliable combat capability, from red-blue confrontations to “Tianjian” series exercises and other activities, the Rocket Force continuously creates realistic and complex confrontation scenarios and harsh battlefield environments, allowing the troops to temper more “great power sword techniques” amidst the smoke of real combat.

They are keen on innovation, empowering combat capability with technology—

At a certain outdoor training ground of the Rocket Force, several new missiles are being erected. During this firepower assault, each combat unit must not only closely coordinate to complete multiple waves of fire strikes but also be prepared to handle emergencies such as strong electromagnetic interference and precise strikes at any time.

New equipment has a higher degree of intelligence, stronger mobility, and more precise fire strikes, breaking the limitations of geography, positions, and weather conditions, leading to a surge of combat methods and training methods closely aligned with the battlefield, promoting a qualitative leap in training effectiveness and combat readiness, continuously providing solid support for the great nation's sword to win.

In recent years, the Rocket Force has closely monitored changes in technology, warfare, and adversaries, promoting comprehensive upgrades of equipment and support, strengthening strategic deterrence capabilities, and advancing the large-scale, practical, and systematic development of new domain and new quality combat forces.

Each “signalman, take your positions” is the most iconic battle call of the missile position. The officers and soldiers of the Rocket Force march towards battle, striving to draw a powerful military trajectory in the sky.

Forge ahead, writing a new chapter of the era

“Long-range precision strikes, multi-domain deterrence for victory,” “Strike range covering the globe” …

On September 3, 2025, during the parade ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War and the World Anti-Fascist War, accompanied by majestic marching music, various missile vehicles such as Changjian-1000, Dongfeng-17, Dongfeng-26D, Dongfeng-61, Dongfeng-31, and Dongfeng-5C rumbled past Tiananmen Square, receiving inspection from the motherland and the people.

People were pleasantly surprised to find that the “Dongfeng family” has grown, the missile shapes have become smaller, the accuracy of hits has improved, the penetration capabilities have strengthened, and the strike ranges have expanded… The Rocket Force has gradually developed a combat force system that combines nuclear and conventional capabilities, with compatible models, connected ranges, and diverse strike effectiveness.

With the Dongfeng in hand and the long sword soaring into the sky, it embodies the wisdom of countless researchers, backed by the relay of generations of officers and soldiers.

On April 13, 2026, 63-year-old academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and missile weapon expert Feng Yufang suddenly passed away. He dedicated his life to forging swords for the nation, fulfilling the promise that “the strength of the Rocket Force is the direction of my progress” and “the last heartbeat is dedicated to the motherland.”

On Academician Feng's desk, there were always books by Qian Xuesen, such as “Engineering Control Theory” and books in the field of unmanned intelligence. On his computer, there were numerous bold and innovative research ideas. Feng's student, Associate Researcher Li, said: “We will take over your ‘baton’ and run steadfastly.”

As we embark on a new journey, the spirit of “loyalty, sword-forging, rigor, and dedication” transforms into the driving force for the new generation of sword-forgers to overcome difficulties and bravely climb to new heights.

On the training ground of a certain brigade of the Rocket Force, First Sergeant Zhao Jing is conducting regular training with his comrades. In September 2024, he personally experienced the live-fire launch task of an intercontinental missile, marking the first time in 44 years that China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific.

Few people know that the team that successfully completed the launch task was a repeatedly “backed-up” team. After going through three rounds of assessments, the final launch platform was selected to execute the live-fire launch task. Zhao Jing said, “The opportunity was so close to us, we did not give up, and in the end, we achieved first place with an absolute advantage.”

In the midst of towering mountains, a certain unit's officers and soldiers ensure absolute safety of equipment by placing a cup full of water on a simulated training box, repeatedly practicing to avoid spilling a drop; on the front line of scientific research, a certain research team of the Rocket Force fought for several months to solve a deviation problem, conducting thousands of repeated experiments, ultimately identifying the crux of the issue; in the communication support room, officers and soldiers of a certain brigade treat information support as combat, with technical backbones mastering the skill of “identifying faults by sound,” ensuring information transmission is precise to the second… In the ranks of the strategic missile forces, at every diverse combat position, the officers and soldiers keep their mission in mind, turning solitude into daily routine, silently escorting the great nation's sword to the battlefield, collectively supporting the heart-stirring moments of takeoff.

Forging swords in the deep mountains, the journey is like a rainbow. Entering each military camp, vitality and strength surge everywhere. Standing at a new starting point, the vast majority of officers and soldiers of the Rocket Force carry their missions on their shoulders and engrave victory in their hearts, determined to write a new chapter of the era in safeguarding peace with even more vigorous fighting spirit and stronger capabilities.