1966年7月1日，第二炮兵正式成立，它的名字由周恩來總理親自命名，后來被世人稱作中國戰(zhàn)略導(dǎo)彈部隊。1984年國慶大閱兵時，第二炮兵為整個世界所震驚，然而一支強大的軍隊背后必然有千萬個無私奉獻的幕后英雄。許多官兵家屬舍棄城里的工作，跟隨丈夫上高原、進戈壁、鉆山溝，一住就是一輩子……

《大國長劍（英文版）》一書的作者帶我們走進那段崢嶸歲月，全景式地展示中國戰(zhàn)略導(dǎo)彈部隊初創(chuàng)時期，*代導(dǎo)彈人在接近原始的狀態(tài)下的山坳里, 獻身導(dǎo)彈事業(yè)的戰(zhàn)斗歷程。講述導(dǎo)彈部隊背后那些鮮為人知的感人事跡，呼吁世界珍愛和平！

On July 1, 1966, the second Artillery corps of the PLA was formally established.In 1984, during the National Day military parade, the Chinese strategic missile forces made their debut in Tiananmen Square. Swords of A Rising Power describes the unsung heroes behind this effort — the selfless dedication of those who gave their lives and struggled behind the scenes. Xu Jian provides a panoramic display of China's strategic missile forces from their earliest beginnings through to their later years, in a work that surveys the history of China from1966 to the present day.