The government and the ruling party are taking steps to address the rapidly changing security environment by proposing the establishment of a National Military Academy that integrates the existing Army, Navy, and Air Force academies, along with plans to develop a smart military suited for the era of artificial intelligence (AI).
On the morning of July 16, the Democratic Party and the Ministry of National Defense held a meeting at the National Assembly to discuss measures regarding the establishment of the National Military Academy, the development of a smart advanced military, and the transfer of wartime operational control, among other national security issues.
Acting Party Leader Han Byeong-do stated before the meeting, "As the security environment changes rapidly, our military must respond more proactively and swiftly. Modern warfare is expanding beyond AI, drones, and cyber warfare into space."
He emphasized that the establishment of the National Military Academy is an urgent task, given the limitations of the current separate military academy system. He pledged to expedite the processing of the National Military Academy establishment law to lay the institutional groundwork and ensure timely budget support for new educational facilities.
Policy Committee Chair Han Jeong-ae also remarked, "Reforming military structure and personnel to respond to societal changes is an unavoidable task. As the timing for the recovery of wartime operational control under the Lee Jae-myung administration becomes clearer, creating an educational environment capable of leading U.S.-South Korea joint operations is of utmost urgency."
She added, "Starting from today’s meeting, we will strongly support the establishment of a smart advanced military through institutional improvements and budget allocations."
Additionally, the government and ruling party announced plans to establish the National Military Academy in the Daejeon area, promising specialized education, an increase in the proportion of civilian instructors, and improvements in treatment to the level of national universities, while stating that detailed information would be provided in a future regular briefing by the Ministry of National Defense.
Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek stated, "We will establish the National Military Academy in the heart of South Korea's science and technology, constructing a state-of-the-art smart camp. We will design specialized education capable of leading AI-based operations across all domains, including space, cyber, and electromagnetic spectrum. We will also ensure that the proportion of civilian instructors exceeds 50% and guarantee treatment on par with national universities to adequately compensate active-duty professors."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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