China’s newly formed Rocket Force launched 100 ballistic missiles last year while army conducted scores of live drills, official media reported on Wednesday, as the 2.3 million strong PlA, the world’s largest army, adopts a more aggressive posture with massive structural revamp.
Each combatant branch of the PlA — the Army, Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force — has confirmed that realistic training drills and exercises were intensified last year under military reforms initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, state-run China Daily said in a lengthy feature on how the Chinese military is transforming itself.
“The Army sent 15 brigades to participate in more than 100 drills; the Air Force conducted at least six large, long-range training drills in the Western Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea; the Rocket Force carried out more than 20 exercises and launched nearly 100 ballistic missiles,” the report said.