Chinese President Xi Jinping is overseeing a sweeping purge of China’s military elite after a corruption scandal in the Rocket Force exposed missiles filled with water, faulty launch silos, and broken command systems. Based on US intelligence assessments, the revelations led to the removal of top military leaders, including General Zhang Youxia, China’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, and senior commander General Liu Zhenli. US intelligence cited by Bloomberg in 2024 said China’s nuclear missile programme was crippled by deep corruption. The report said vast missile silo fields in western China were built with faulty lids that would prevent missiles from launching effectively. Some missiles were also reportedly filled with water instead of fuel. Although nuclear missiles were positioned in silos to fly thousands of km at the press of a button, the report said several may not have fired at all in a crisis situation.

Full report : Behind China’s Military Purge: Nuclear Missiles Filled With Water, Not Fuel.