According to a report by the Korean Central News Agency, on 3 and 20 March, the DPRK held a hypothetical comprehensive tactical training for a nuclear counterattack, with Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the DPRK State Council, giving guidance. Kim Jong-un pointed out that this comprehensive tactical training is an important opportunity to prepare the DPRK's nuclear combat force for quickly and correctly completing the containment of war and striving for war dominance at any moment and under any sudden situation.
Image source: KCNA
According to reports, tactical nuclear weapons use the troops' nuclear counterattack hypothetical comprehensive tactical training, which was carried out under the tense situation of the gradual expansion of US-ROK joint military exercises and the introduction of a large number of US nuclear strategic weapons and equipment into South Korea.
The training was held to effectively strengthen the Korean War deterrent power and nuclear counterattack capability, and familiarize relevant units with the procedures and procedures for carrying out tactical nuclear attack missions. Another purpose is to issue "a tougher will and warning to respond to actual combat in real combat" to countries that "ignore the DPRK's repeated warnings, expose obvious war intentions, expand aggressive war exercises, and indiscriminately carry out military operations of a highly offensive nature."
According to the report, Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the North Korean State Council, guided the hypothetical comprehensive tactical training of nuclear counterattack. Photos released by KCNA showed Kim Jong-un's daughter also observing the training.
Image source: KCNA
According to reports, the two-day comprehensive tactical training on the nuclear counterattack scenario is divided into a nuclear strike command system management exercise, practical training in transferring to a nuclear counterattack posture, and tactical ballistic missile launch training carrying a simulated nuclear warhead.
The training on March 3 retested the reliability of the command and control system for tactical nuclear forces from various aspects, and from the perspective of strict security, tested the correctness of the procedures for issuing and receiving nuclear attack orders and the order of nuclear weapons handling in various hypothetical emergency situations, and familiarized with the operational order and tactics of rapid transition to nuclear attacks in accordance with the operating procedures of various nuclear attack plans.
On the morning of the 19th, a ballistic missile launch training simulating a tactical nuclear attack was conducted. The commanders of the joint forces of the DPRK who have a strong national defense and comprehensive command of the tactical nuclear weapons utilization force, as well as the commanders of the missile units and the commanders of the sub-divisions on the eastern and western fronts under their subordinates, observe the shooting training.
Image source: KCNA
In addition, "launch training simulating a nuclear strike on the enemy's main subject" was conducted. The missile was equipped with an experimental warhead that simulated a nuclear warhead.
According to the report, the tactical ballistic missile launched in Cheolsan-gun, North Pyongan Province, exploded 800 meters above the target in the East Sea of North Korea with a range of 800 kilometers, once again verifying the operational reliability of the nuclear explosive control device and detonation device equipped in the nuclear warhead.
Kim Jong-un said that through this comprehensive tactical training, the actual combat capability of the units and sub-units carrying out important firepower attack missions has been greatly improved, and all units have sufficient confidence. "This comprehensive tactical training is an important opportunity for our nuclear combat forces to be able to quickly and correctly complete the major mission of containing war and striving for war dominance at any moment and under any sudden situation."
Image source: KCNA
Kim Jong-un stressed the importance of continuing to organize such training to familiarize North Korean military personnel with contingencies and maintain a timely, overwhelming and flexible nuclear response posture at all times.
Kim Jong-un said, "The current situation, in which the enemy's anti-DPRK aggression activities have intensified, urgently requires us to exponentially enhance our deterrent power in nuclear war, and put forward the important direction of nuclear armed forces building and strategic tasks in nuclear force preparation." Our nuclear armed forces will maintain a high degree of readiness to thoroughly contain and control the enemy's reckless actions and provocations, and will not hesitate to carry out major missions if unexpected circumstances arise. ”