In a recent development, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare public acknowledgment of significant military purges during a virtual address to the armed forces. As reported by The Frontier Post and corroborated by BBC World, Xi highlighted the expulsion of two of China's highest-ranked generals, He Weidong and Zhang Youxia, due to corruption probes. This has left the Central Military Commission (CMC) with only two members, Xi himself and newly promoted vice-chairman Zhang Shengmin, as noted by Newsmax. Xi emphasized that the past year had been 'unusual and extraordinary,' with the military undergoing 'revolutionary forging in the fight against corruption.' The purges have notably affected the leadership of China's nuclear deterrence forces, raising concerns about the military's operational readiness and strategic decision-making capabilities.