KPA SOF Restructuring
Photo: KCNA
The Korean People’s Army (KPA) is restructuring its special operations forces (SOF) and adjusted some training oversight to the KPA General Staff Department (GSD) Operations Bureau. On or around 28 March (Saturday), Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) inspected SOF sub-unit exercises at a training under GSD Ops, along with members of the KPA high command and senior Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) cadres and officials.
The event’s venue was identified in state media as subordinate to the GSD Ops Bureau. This represents an adjustment to the personnel and bases under GSD Ops. Let us dispel with the old timey “training bureau” lingo used many moons ago by, and applied to, the KPA. When Kim Jong Un inspected light infantry, UAV and tank exercises on 19 March the Pyongyang Training Base #60 was identified as subordinate to the Capital Defense Corps.
Photo: KCNA
This indicates that larger training facilities (outside corps and service commands) have been transferred and subordinated to large command and coordination nodes in the KPA. This would leave the GSD Training Bureau to focus solely on formulating training and combat education planning.
Photo: KCNA
GSD Ops has traditionally exercised decisionmaking authority and executed GSD Training Bureau plans but they were nominally separate bureaus subordinate to the GSD. Given the CMC meeting last May and the 9th Party Congress, the regime may have implemented some changes whereby GSD (and other KPA elements in the defense ministry and political commissars) bureaus were shuffled around. If true, perhaps the GSD Training Bureau is now subordinate to GSD OPs.
Photo: KCNA
Photo: KCNA
Wither the Storm Corps?
The SOF exercises Kim Jong Un inspected included many of the same things we have seen conducted by the XI Corps (a/k/a Storm Corps), the DPRK’s main light infantry and SOF unit. In state media coverage, Kim Jong Un remarked on “reorganizing the special operations forces of our army, to be implemented in the future, and follow-up measures.”
At these inspections we can see participation by KPA “drop” soldiers (as in, they drop behind enemy lines for targeting command personnel or critical infrastructure) who are traditionally part of XI Corps. We also see elements of the XI Corps’ all women’s company participating in the exercises.
Photo: KCNA
KCNA reporting notes that SOF personnel migrations are to “be implemented in the future.” This means that XI Corps is, or will, undergo major head count migrations whereby personnel of XI Corps will be deployed to corps units that have little to no light infantry presence. The XI Corps will retains special activities divisions and their light infantry and commando elements scattered to other corps units. Other KPA corps will find SOF and/or light infantry elements added to their orders or battle. We have seen this with the 19 March exercises, although aside from the Pyongyang-headquartered KPA Cavalry we don’t know what other units participated in the exercise.
