PLA Rocket Force Vital to China’s Way of War

PLA Rocket Force: China’s Arsenal, from Taiwan to Global Reach 

The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) is central to China’s way of war and poses
a multifaceted operational problem for the U.S. Joint force because it has no global equivalent
in terms of the size, diversity, and range of its land-based missile arsenal. The PLARF’s primary
mission in a regional conflict, such as a contingency over Taiwan, would be to prevent or delay a
potential U.S. intervention. It would accomplish this by threatening U.S. carrier strike groups with
antiship ballistic missiles and targeting key U.S. bases and logistical nodes in the Indo-Pacific,
including Guam. Furthermore, the dual-use nature of many of the PLARF’s systems, capable of
carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads, creates a dangerous ambiguity and raises
the risk of miscalculation and escalation in a crisis. Despite these strengths, the PLARF lacks
combat experience and suffers from deep-rooted corruption that may undermine its operational
effectiveness. By 2040, the PLARF will likely have transformed into a fully networked force central
to China’s ability to shape the global strategic environment. U.S. Army efforts to blunt the impact
of the PLARF will need to promote agile sustainment, resilient command and control (C2), layered
protection, and cross-domain fires.