PLA Rocket Force Missile Brigade Showcases Readiness on 60th Anniversary
On July 2, 2026, Chinese state media published coordinated feature articles highlighting the PLA Rocket Force’s “Missile Launch Pioneer Battalion” (导弹发射先锋营), an elite unit that has received the highest honorary title from the Central Military Commission. The coverage, appearing in both Xinhua News and China News Service, profiles three generations of soldiers from this unit against the backdrop of the 60th anniversary of China’s strategic missile force, which was formally established on July 1, 1966.
The Pioneer Battalion: A Legacy of Excellence
Launch Battalion No. 1 of a PLA Rocket Force brigade was established in 1997 and awarded the honorary title “Missile Launch Pioneer Battalion” by the Central Military Commission on January 3, 2005. The battalion has been recognized 7 times for meritorious service, has maintained a “Military Training First-Class Battalion” rating for 17 consecutive years, and has received over 50 commendations at national, military, and Rocket Force levels. It has successfully completed more than 40 major combat readiness and training missions, launching over 40 missiles of multiple types.
According to the China News Service, the battalion has trained and transferred over 320 technical specialists to other units and developed more than 800,000 characters of training materials that have become the blueprint for similar units across the force.
Three Generations, One Mission
The articles employ a deliberate intergenerational narrative to demonstrate institutional continuity across 60 years of strategic missile force history.
He Xianda (何贤达), age 47 — Known as the “Soldier King” (兵王), this First Class Sergeant joined the battalion 29 years ago when it had nothing but cardboard boxes for simulation training. He became the first enlisted soldier in the force to serve as “No. 1 Operator” — the soldier who presses the launch button — a role previously reserved for officers. He has since written dozens of professional textbooks and operating procedures. “A pioneer is someone who has already finished the job while others are still wondering if they can do it,” He Xianda told Xinhua.
Ding Chaoquan (丁朝全), age 37 — He Xianda’s former subordinate, Ding launched the brigade’s 100th missile on a snowy desert night 11 years ago. It took him seven years from enlistment to become a launch operator. “At that moment, I felt everything was worth it,” he recalled of the launch.
Huo Lijian (霍立健), age 26 — Ding Chaoquan’s apprentice, Huo is a college graduate who enlisted twice — first in 2021 during his studies and again after graduation. He represents the new generation of internet-era soldiers who bring fresh perspectives to the force. “I was greeted by a compressed biscuit, a full night of training observation, and the wind at 3 AM,” Huo said of his first night in the battalion.
Training Innovations and Combat Readiness
The Pioneer Battalion has pioneered several innovations adopted force-wide, including “Reduced Crew Operations” — the ability to launch with half the normal personnel — and a 20% reduction in launch preparation time compared to standard requirements. It was the first unit to achieve “One Battalion, Two Missile Types” and “One Launch Vehicle, Two Missile Types” capabilities.
Battalion Commander Li emphasized the unit’s constant state of readiness: “For Pioneer Battalion soldiers, there is no countdown to war; every day is a day of deployment.” Squad Leader Han Jianming added, “Meeting training standards is just the starting point; training to perfection is what counts.”
Strategic Context: 60 Years of the Missile Force
The coverage comes as China marks the 60th anniversary of its strategic missile force. Originally established on July 1, 1966, as the Second Artillery Corps, it was renamed the PLA Rocket Force in December 2015 by President Xi Jinping. A People’s Daily article published via Xinhua on June 29 detailed the force’s evolution from fixed-site to mobile launches and from scheduled to random launch capabilities.
Recent milestones include the Rocket Force’s conventional missile tests east of Taiwan in August 2022, an intercontinental ballistic missile launch into the Pacific Ocean in September 2024 — the first such launch in 44 years — and the display of multiple missile types including the DF-17, DF-26D, and DF-61 during the September 2025 WWII victory anniversary parade.
Analysis and Implications
While framed as human-interest features, the coordinated publication of these articles by two major state media outlets on the same day — one day after the 60th anniversary — serves multiple strategic purposes. It highlights the human element of China’s military modernization, showcases combat readiness and professionalism, builds public pride and support for the military, and signals strategic capability without explicit saber-rattling.
The intergenerational narrative arc — from the bootstrap generation that built capability from scratch (He Xianda), to the inheritors who achieved operational excellence (Ding Chaoquan), to the internet-era soldiers bringing new skills (Huo Lijian) — demonstrates institutional continuity and the enduring spirit of the force across six decades.
What to Watch For
As China continues to modernize its strategic deterrent, the Pioneer Battalion’s innovations in reduced-crew operations and multi-type missile capabilities are likely to be further expanded across the Rocket Force. The 60th anniversary commemorations signal that Beijing views its strategic missile forces as a cornerstone of national security and a key component of its military modernization efforts.
“Be anonymous people who do earth-shattering things,” said Liu Guanghua, a first-generation operator from the force’s earliest days — a motto that continues to define the men and women who serve in China’s strategic missile force today.