command and control over the North Korean military. The State Affairs Commission oversees the affairs of the North Korean state and decides upon policies that are of importance to the country. The Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army has under his command the General Political Bureau, General Staff Department and the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces. The General Political Bureau supervises party organs within the military and is responsible for matters related to political ideology. The General Staff Department has the command authority over military operations while the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces, which externally represents the North Korean military, is responsible for military diplomacy and administers military logistics, procurement and finance. The Central Military Commission, pursuant to the Charter of the Workers’ Party of Korea, deliberates and decides upon measures necessary for implementing the party’s military policy and guidelines and provides guidance in overall defense affairs at the party level. The military command structure of North Korea is visualized in <Chart 1-3> below: <Chart 1-3> north Korea’s Military Command structure state Affairs Commission (supreme Commander) Guard Command General Political Bureau Military security Bureau General staff Department ××× ××× ××× ××× ×× Regular 91 Capital Mechanized 11th Armored Corps Defense Corps (2) Corps Division (10) Corps Ministry of People’s Armed forces ×× ×× Cavalry and infantry Division (4) Artillery Division ××× Air and strategic navy Anti-Air force Command ××× Road engineering Construction Corps Corps * State affairs Commission: Former National Defense Commission, Military Security Bureau: Former Military Security Command, 91 Capital Defense Corps: Former Pyongyang Defense Command, ×××: Corps, ××: Division 3. Military Capabilities | Ground force | The Ground Force is composed of 10 regular corps, two mechanized corps, 91 Capital Defense Corps, 11th Corps (known as “Storm Corps”), one armored division and four mechanized infantry divisions under the control of the General Staff Department. Following the re-organization of the seventh and eighth General Bureaus of the Ministry of People’s Security into the Engineering Corps and Road Construction Corps, the Ground Force was placed under the control of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces. The General Staff Department, recently restructured by adding the Command Information 28 Chapter 1 Changes and Challenges in the Security environment