Kim Jong Un oversaw another Korean People’s Army (KPA) exercise today, the third in the last week, and just days before U.S. and South Korea begin their annual “Foal Eagle” and “Key Resolve” joint exercises.

“Kim Jong Un issued an order to examine the capability of artillery units to fight an actual war and guided it on the spot”, North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The report also said that Kim issued the order “all of a sudden” to examine the “preparedness of units for an actual battle.”

Tensions have spiked since North Korea launched a satellite in December and