Seoul: Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back has called for an extensive military reform to address the rapidly changing security environment and personnel challenges, emphasizing the need to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into defense strategies.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ahn highlighted these priorities during a seminar aimed at outlining the military reform plans by 2040. The initiative comes as Seoul endeavors to counter increasing threats from North Korea while grappling with a declining pool of military personnel eligible for enlistment.
Ahn stated, "We are at a time when dramatic change is necessary to preemptively respond to a complex security environment and the changes in the paradigm of warfare." This reflects the urgency to adapt to the new dynamics of warfare, including the integration of manned-unmanned teaming combat systems that utilize drones and robots, amid reduced numbers of enlistment-age men.
The reform plan also proposes outsourcing more troops for non-combat roles, aiming to keep the standing troop numbers at approximately 500,000 by 2040. This target will be achieved by increasing the ranks of noncommissioned officers and full-time reserve forces, even as the birth rate continues to decline.
Furthermore, the reform strategy includes raising the percentage of officers from the current 40 percent to 67 percent. These changes are partly driven by a notable decrease in eligible men for military service, from 332,000 in 2019 to 257,000 in 2022, as reported by the defense ministry.
The ministry has been working on this reform plan since forming a task force in September of the previous year, with intentions to finalize the plan's details by next month.