North Korea is a country of paradoxes and contradictions. Although it remains an economic basket case that cannot feed and clothe its own people, it nevertheless possesses one of the world''s largest armed forces. Whether measured in terms of the total number of personnel in uniform, numbers of special operations soldiers, the size of its submarine fleet, quantity of ballistic missiles in its arsenal, or its substantial weapons of mass destruction programs, Pyongyang is a major military power.Content:North Korea''s Military ThreatConventional Forces Unconventional Forces Overall Conclusions The North Korean Ballistic Missile ProgramDPRK National Strategy and Motivations Historical Background of DPRK Missile Development Institutional Setting Conclusion U.S. Government Policy Toward North KoreaCountering the North Korean Threat (New Steps in U.S. Policy)Pressuring North Korea (Evaluating Options)President Donald Trump on Current Crisis on the Korean PeninsulaA Message to the Congress of the United States on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North KoreaContinuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North KoreaStatement from the President on North Korea''s Second ICBM LaunchStatement by President Donald J. Trump on North KoreaAbout the Authors

North Korea is a country of paradoxes and contradictions. Although it remains an economic basket case that cannot feed and clothe its own people, it nevertheless possesses one of the world''s largest armed forces. Whether measured in terms of the total number of personnel in uniform, numbers of special operations soldiers, the size of its submarine fleet, quantity of ballistic missiles in its arsenal, or its substantial weapons of mass destruction programs, Pyongyang is a major military power.Content:North Korea''s Military ThreatConventional Forces Unconventional Forces Overall Conclusions The North Korean Ballistic Missile ProgramDPRK National Strategy and Motivations Historical Background of DPRK Missile Development Institutional Setting Conclusion U.S. Government Policy Toward North KoreaCountering the North Korean Threat (New Steps in U.S. Policy)Pressuring North Korea (Evaluating Options)President Donald Trump on Current Crisis on the Korean PeninsulaA Message to the Congress of the United States on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North KoreaContinuation of the National Emergency with Respect to North KoreaStatement from the President on North Korea''s Second ICBM LaunchStatement by President Donald J. Trump on North KoreaAbout the Authors