North Korea’s firing of eight short-range ballistic missiles (SBRMs) from four different launch sites across the country is an unprecedented development for the country’s weapons programs. It may mark a transition from initial developmental testing of these weapons to a period of more intense operational drills. 

In general, North Korean tests that involve multiple missiles — more than one for anything in the medium-range class and above and more than two for its newer solid-propellant SRBMs — indicate operational training and not a developmental test. These launches are not “tests” in the traditional sense but regular military