This is a series of CBS Island the World. I'm John that with my friend and colleague

Gordon Chang. The report at the end of 2023 might have missed it, New Year's celebration and all.

A sweeping purge of Chinese generals has weakened People's Liberation Army.

This is a report that was filed by CNN. Oh Reuters, excuse me.

China's top lawmakers ousted nine senior military officers from the

national legislative body at

years and. What does this mean? Gordon Chang and I have been

speculating for some time so we welcome Rebecca Grant, President of IRIS, IRIS Independent Research,

Visiting Fellow of the Lexington Institute.

Rebecca, a very good new year to you.

The ousting of nine generals at the year's end combined with

what we had was information from so-called intelligence sources that would be the

U.S. the ODNI perhaps, that all the lids of the Chinese silos built for

their ICBMs in the northwest do not work, some do, some don't, and that some of their rockets are filled with

water rather than rocket fuel. Odd reports, this connects to what we know of purging of rocket force leadership last year

and now the ousting of nine additional generals.

What do you make of this in the contest between Shijin Ping who insists that the military is

loyal to him not to the party to him personally and ousting his generals good

evening to you Rebecca Rebecca. Good evening.

What an interesting report.

It's so rare to get real insight on Chinese military thinking.

And my first reaction is, well, wake up, she-jeeping, good generals are hard to find.

...