1 In the past two decades, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force (formerly the Second Artillery)-the military organization responsible for operating China’s nuclear and land-based conventional missile forces-has been transformed from a small force operating liquid-fueled nuclear-armed ballistic missiles to a much larger and more modern force increasingly equipped with solid-fueled ballistic missiles.

This interest in missiles was initially focused on the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles to deliver nuclear weapons but has since expanded to include a large and expanding force of conventionally armed short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles for regional military operations. Since the start of the country’s nuclear weapons programs, China’s leaders have emphasized the development of missile forces. Student in Security Studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where his research focuses on U.S.-China security relations and nuclear strategy and arms control.

China rocket location