North Korea’s General Staff Department (GSD) has ordered electronic warfare units to conduct drone-focused exercises as part of winter military training that began Sunday, Daily NK has learned.
“Last month, unit staff departments received the GSD’s training directives for the Korean People’s Army’s winter exercises,” a military source told Daily NK on Monday. “Following these orders, electronic warfare units began drone takeover drills and battle exercises when winter training started Sunday.”
The source explained that training focuses on strengthening battlefield response capabilities using new GSD combat manuals that analyze drone tactics from the Russia-Ukraine war.
The manuals adapt drone warfare strategies specifically for North Korean military conditions, drawing from real combat examples. This incorporation of drone tactics into regular winter training reflects their growing strategic importance in modern warfare.
To support this training, the GSD provided electronic warfare units with specific examples of Russian forces using electronic warfare to jam and capture Ukrainian drones during the ongoing conflict.
“The GSD emphasized maximizing the tactical capabilities of electronic warfare units working with drone formations during this winter’s training,” the source said.
The directive pushes units beyond basic technical practice, requiring them to master comprehensive battlefield strategies for disrupting and capturing enemy drones. Additionally, the North Korean military is developing electronic defenses to protect their own drones from enemy interference.
“The ultimate goal for electronic warfare units this winter is to develop diverse offensive and defensive capabilities for independent wartime drone operations,” the source explained. “The GSD considers this autonomous operational capability crucial.”
The training initiative follows Kim Jong Un’s Nov. 14 inspection of suicide attack drone tests, his second such visit in three months, where he ordered full-scale production.
During this visit, Kim noted: “Global military competition increasingly centers on innovative drone technology. The Workers’ Party of Korea has prioritized integrating unmanned systems into our operational plans and military doctrine, continuously refining these capabilities.”
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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