North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered a major expansion of the country's nuclear arsenal to increase the quantity and quality of its forces.
This directive signals a significant escalation in Pyongyang's military posture. By diversifying its nuclear delivery systems and increasing readiness, North Korea seeks to strengthen its deterrence capabilities amid growing military cooperation between Russia and other regional actors.
During a plenary meeting of the Central Committee held the week of June 24, 2026, in Pyongyang, Kim said, "We must constantly expand and strengthen nuclear forces" [1]. The leader's directives focus on ensuring full nuclear-attack readiness and the modernization of military hardware to maintain a dominant position.
A key component of this expansion involves the maritime sector. Kim said the navy must be armed with nuclear weapons and larger warships must be constructed [2]. Specifically, the leader directed the building of 10,000-tonne warships to enhance the navy's capabilities [3].
State media via KCNA said the military is maintaining "full readiness to use nuclear attack capability" [4]. This push for readiness follows recent missile tests and is framed as a necessity for the nation to dominate the world [5].
While some reports indicate an order to strengthen the General Reconnaissance Bureau, the spy agency, this specific detail was not corroborated across multiple primary news reports [6]. However, the broader mandate for military modernization and the expansion of the nuclear stockpile remains the central pillar of the June directives.
“We must constantly expand and strengthen nuclear forces.”
The move to integrate nuclear weapons into the North Korean navy and build 10,000-tonne vessels suggests a shift toward a more flexible, sea-based deterrent. This strategy reduces the vulnerability of land-based silos and increases the regime's ability to project power beyond its borders, complicating the defense calculations for the U.S. and its allies in East Asia.
