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The North Korean Army is rusting away. So it's getting creative. - The Week
The Pentagon released in March its annual North Korean report, a 22-page assessment of the hermit regime's military strategy. The report makes it clear that Pyongyang's ships, planes, and armored vehicles are old and obsolete — and despite North Korea's "military-first" economic strategy, there's no money for upgrades.
Forced to make do without traditional weaponry, North Korea is expanding its "asymmetric" forces, including nuclear weapons, commandos, and hackers, the report concludes.
The Pentagon is remarkably downbeat on the state of North Korean conventional forces — to the point of being dismissive and repeatedly referring to the North Korea People's Army as "antiquated" and "outdated."
While the report notes newly identified NKPA tanks, artillery, and other armored vehicles, it doesn't even bother going into detail. This suggests the Pentagon doesn't think much of the new vehicles' potential to shift the balance of power on the ground.
The North Korean air force gets slightly more attention. The report notes that the air arm hasn't received any new fighter planes in 15 years, when it purchased decades-old used MiG-21s from Kazakhstan.
The Pentagon is equally unimpressed with Pyongyang's apparent new surface-to-air missiles, which are outwardly similar to Russian S-300s and Chinese HQ-9s.
The Pentagon released in March its annual North Korean report, a 22-page assessment of the hermit regime's military strategy. The report makes it clear that Pyongyang's ships, planes, and armored vehicles are old and obsolete — and despite North Korea's "military-first" economic strategy, there's no money for upgrades.
Forced to make do without traditional weaponry, North Korea is expanding its "asymmetric" forces, including nuclear weapons, commandos, and hackers, the report concludes.
The Pentagon is remarkably downbeat on the state of North Korean conventional forces — to the point of being dismissive and repeatedly referring to the North Korea People's Army as "antiquated" and "outdated."
While the report notes newly identified NKPA tanks, artillery, and other armored vehicles, it doesn't even bother going into detail. This suggests the Pentagon doesn't think much of the new vehicles' potential to shift the balance of power on the ground.
The North Korean air force gets slightly more attention. The report notes that the air arm hasn't received any new fighter planes in 15 years, when it purchased decades-old used MiG-21s from Kazakhstan.
The Pentagon is equally unimpressed with Pyongyang's apparent new surface-to-air missiles, which are outwardly similar to Russian S-300s and Chinese HQ-9s.
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