In the event of war, North Korea would quickly be dependent upon obsolete aircraft. The unit readiness of the North Korean forces is also questionable. To maintain readiness to carry out its assigned mission in wartime, a military must train. A severe fuel shortage has limited North Korea's ability to conduct military training exercises. North Korean combat pilots are believed to fly only 20 percent of the time that South Korean and U.S. pilots spend in the air.
Recent reports indicate an even further decline in pilot flight training.
A lack of appropriate training greatly affects pilot proficiency and combat effectiveness. Readiness is also undermined by the reported decline in the scope and duration of North Korean army exercises in the 1990s. U.S. and South Korean military officials noticed as early as 1992 that the North Korean military was cutting back large unit, division, and corps-level military exercises. Most recently, South Korean military officials have focused on fuel shortages as a principal cause for the decline in major North Korean military exercises. North Korea's annual winter exercise period, involving ground and air components, has been inferior in scope and duration than in the past.