Consideration of Deploying 'Amphibious Operation Marines' for Naval Base Security

On the afternoon of the 27th, in front of the main gate of Jeju Naval Base in Gangjeong-dong, Seogwipo City, the Gangjeong Village Residents' Association opposing the naval base held a press conference demanding the immediate cancellation of the International Fleet Review. 2018.9.27
jihopark@yna.co.kr [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] The military is considering deploying Marine Corps troops as the Navy bases have been repeatedly breached by civilians. Some argue that it is inappropriate for the Marine Corps, which is responsible for strategic maneuver forces including amphibious operations and island defense, to be in charge of Navy base security.

On the 31st, the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "Our military is reviewing ways to effectively operate some Marine Corps troops to reinforce the security of major Navy bases."

The Joint Chiefs explained, "We will derive the optimal plan considering the importance of the bases and various security conditions," adding, "This plan development will be promoted with consensus formed through sufficient discussions between the Navy and the Marine Corps."

They also added, "We are also considering assigning Army field-grade officers to major Navy bases to serve as special staff responsible for overall base security, including strengthening security operations and training."

It is reported that the Army is discussing a plan where four majors would support security duty. Currently, Army liaison officers are dispatched to the Navy, but officers may be separately dispatched to support security management duties.

On the 7th of this month, two civilians cut through the barbed wire of the Jeju Navy base and wandered inside the base for nearly two hours.

At that time, the core function of the active surveillance system, composed of CCTV (closed-circuit television) that detects object movements, was degraded, so the alarm did not sound, and the '5-minute standby team' responded sluggishly, arriving two hours after the intrusion, according to investigations.

On January 3rd around noon, Mr. A (73) entered the Jinhae Navy base in Gyeongnam without permission and wandered around the base for about an hour and a half. It is reported that Mr. A passed through the guard post without any restraint.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.