China’s Defense Crackdown Spreads, Raising Questions About Military Readiness

Purges of executives and scientists follow a missile force scandal and the scrutiny of underperforming weapons systems.

Chinese military march in the street in Beijing on April 22, 2020. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

News Analysis

In recent months, an extraordinary wave of purges has swept through China’s military-industrial complex, extending far beyond defense companies into elite academic institutions and the upper ranks of government.

What began with a dramatic takedown of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force leadership has since expanded into a broader campaign—one that has removed senior executives from state-owned defense firms, sidelined high-ranking officials with military-industry ties, and stripped prestigious honors from leading scientists.

The scale and depth of the clampdown are unprecedented in modern China, suggesting a crisis that goes well beyond routine anti-corruption efforts.

At the center of the academic fallout are China’s two most prestigious scientific bodies—the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE)—whose members hold lifetime appointments considered the country’s highest scholarly honor.

Typically, such titles are revoked only in cases of serious criminal wrongdoing or academic misconduct. Over the past three years, at least ten academics with backgrounds in defense research have been removed.

Those ousted include prominent figures tied to some of China’s most sensitive weapons programs, such as nuclear arms development, advanced conventional weapons, missile systems, and stealth fighter technology.

Among them, the chief designer of China’s J-20 stealth fighter jet was quietly stripped of his membership in the CAS, and three tech experts in China’s nuclear engineering, missile guidance systems, and radar technology fields were removed from the CAE.

Many of these individuals held senior roles in major state-owned defense conglomerates, underscoring the close integration of China’s military, industrial, and research sectors.

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) anti-corruption campaigns also rocked the regime’s sprawling network of state-owned defense contractors, which dominate sectors ranging from nuclear technology to aerospace, shipbuilding, and military electronics.

On Feb. 4, three executives from China’s aviation and nuclear technology firms were removed from the regime’s rubber-stamp congress. Their purge was announced less than two weeks after the removal of two of the regime’s most senior military officials.

The purge has not been limited to defense firm executives.

Several high-ranking officials who previously worked in the defense sector and later rose to positions in provincial or central government have also been caught up in the crackdown.

A Chinese-made Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter is displayed during the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, in south China's Guangdong province, on Nov. 12, 2024. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Concerns Over Military Capabilities 

This wave of military purges started from the Chinese military’s Rocket Force, which manages the regime’s nuclear and conventional missile arsenal.

In mid-2023, the CCP launched an investigation into irregularities in military procurement, signaling systemic problems in weapons acquisition.

Soon after, multiple top commanders of the Rocket Force were removed, along with a broader network of senior officers and officials in charge of equipment development.

Despite the purges, analysts say it fails to root out corruption within the CCP’s system.

Hsieh Pei-Shiue, a research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), told The Epoch Times that removing military leaders and defense firm executives is unlikely to resolve the regime’s systemic corruption.

“State-owned enterprises monopolize all military contracts. There is no competitive mechanism, no independent oversight of procurement, and the system operates in a highly closed environment,” he said. “No matter how many people are replaced, the problems remain. China’s defense industry is caught in a vicious cycle.”

Radars are displayed during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

Beyond corruption, some analysts suggest the crackdown may reflect an effort to address operational weaknesses stemming from the underwhelming performance of Chinese-made weapons systems overseas.

Recent conflicts in Venezuela and Iran have raised questions about the effectiveness of air defense systems exported by China. In both cases, the U.S. military conducted operations with little resistance.

Analysts say such incidents could have prompted the CCP to reassess the reliability of its defense technology and hold manufacturers accountable.

Shen Ming-shih, another researcher at the INDSR, told The Epoch Times that recent events—including the U.S. operation earlier this year to arrest then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the more recent joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran—suggest that Chinese-made air defense systems have failed to perform effectively.

He said the CCP may now be tracing responsibility back through the defense sector, a move that could further expand the ongoing purge of the military-industrial complex.

Tang Bing contributed to this report.