[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Will Army Special Forces and Marines Take on Naval Base Defense Missions?

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] It appears that Army Special Forces and some Marine Corps personnel will be deployed to defend the Jeju Naval Base. In addition, regarding the incident on the 7th when civilians cut through the barbed wire of the Jeju Naval Base and trespassed, while this is intended to strengthen base security, there are criticisms that it is inappropriate for the Marine Corps, which is responsible for strategic maneuver forces such as amphibious operations, to be in charge of naval base security.

According to military officials on the 31st, they are reportedly considering assigning the Jeju Rapid Deployment Unit mission to one battalion of Army Special Forces stationed on Jeju Island and one battalion of the Marine Corps Rapid Deployment Unit, which is rotated every four months on Jeju Island.

The military is reviewing the deployment of Marine Corps personnel to base defense as a measure to strengthen base security following the incident on the 7th when civilians cut through the barbed wire of the Jeju Naval Base and trespassed. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo reportedly received this plan and expressed the intention to carefully consider it after thoroughly gathering opinions from the Navy and Marine Corps. The Navy is currently short of reserve personnel to meet the security manpower requirements at the Jeju base, and it will take considerable time to reinforce the base fence with high-performance scientific surveillance and security equipment.

There is also controversy inside and outside the military about whether it is appropriate to entrust the security and surveillance of the Jeju base, which is an inherent mission of the Navy, to other branches. In particular, the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have promoted since 2005 that installing scientific surveillance and security equipment centered on CCTV surveillance equipment in frontline areas is the best alternative to compensate for the reduced personnel, leading to criticisms that this is inconsistent.

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