The Korean People’s Army (KPA) General Staff Department has distributed an assessment rubric to each corps ahead of the summer military exercises concluding on Sept. 30.
According to a North Korean military source, the KPA plans to conduct assessments for the summer exercises from Sept. 18 to 25. The assessment rubric was distributed to each corps on Aug. 25.
The evaluation aims to assess the KPA’s overall performance in the regular summer exercises, which began on July 1, and conduct an in-depth review of each unit’s combat organization and mission capability.
The assessment will begin with a thorough review of each unit’s accomplishments during the summer exercises. It will include checking updated combat organization charts and missions, as well as evaluating units’ ability to respond to unexpected circumstances through day and night specialist training assessments.
This year’s review introduces a new selective assessment method alongside the previous group assessment approach. Training assessment officers will randomly select squads and companies for evaluation, allowing for a more comprehensive review of both larger and smaller units.
The assessment will place greater emphasis on anti-chemical warfare drills compared to previous exercises. The General Staff Department has stressed that these drills will be evaluated more rigorously than during the last winter exercises (Dec. 1, 2023, to March 30, 2024). The results of the anti-chemical warfare drills will significantly impact each unit’s overall score for the summer exercises.
These drills are designed to assess soldiers’ readiness for chemical warfare and their overall response capabilities, including protecting troops, weapons, combat technology, equipment, and materials from nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.
The increased focus on anti-chemical warfare drills may be an effort to elevate the military’s overall combat ability by applying stricter standards. In response, corps’ operations and training departments are intensifying their preparation efforts for each unit.