North Korea has threatened "indiscriminate" nuclear strikes against South Korea and the US if they push ahead with joint military drills.
The exercises, this year involving more than 300,000 personnel, are an annual event and always generate tension.
The order for a "pre-emptive nuclear strike of justice" was made in a statement put out by Pyongyang.
Such rhetoric is not uncommon, and experts doubt the North's ability to put nuclear warheads on its missiles.
Last year, North Korea threatened to turn Washington into a "sea of fire".
North Korea sees the annual US-South Korean war games as a rehearsal for invasion.
The South's defence ministry has warned Pyongyang against any "rash act that brings destruction upon itself".
These latest exercises - called Foal Eagle and Key Resolve - will involve about 300,000 South Korean troops and 15,000 US personnel, the largest ever such operation.
They come just days after the UN passed new sanctions against North Korea following its recent nuclear test and rocket launch.
On Saturday, the Philippines impounded a North Korean cargo vessel under the toughened measures. A presidential spokesman said the crew would be deported and the ship subject to a UN-mandated inspection.
The North responded to the sanctions by saying it was readying nuclear weapons for "pre-emptive" use, and by firing short-range missiles into the sea.
The US and South Korea on Friday also began formal talks on the deployment of the US missile defence system to the peninsula, a move strongly opposed by North Korea, Russia and China.
Beijing says the Thaad anti-missile system compromises its security and would undermine its nuclear deterrent.
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