By Ankit Panda
The Pentagon’s annual report on the North Korean military is dismissive of its hardware.
The U.S. Department of Defense released its annual report on the state of North Korea’s military earlier this month. The short 22-page document (PDF) paints a picture of a North Korean military that is slowly atrophying under a lack of funding. Nevertheless, the report begins by acknowledging that North Korea “remains one of the United States’ most critical security challenges.” The reason for that status isn’t its military might but its proclivity to act erratically, provoking South Korea, and Pyongyang’s “willingness to proliferate weapons in contravention of United Nations Security Council Resolutions.”
The DoD’s report is quite dismissive of North Korea’s actual hardware – the report states that the DPRK’s military technology is “outdated.” Despite this, North Korea continues to field a large military (especially for its population and GDP) that is forward-position, ready to strike South Korea with scant warning. The Pentagon sees the immense risk in this scenario despite the North’s hardware shortcomings.
Read the full story at The Diplomat