Yoon Administration to Announce First Mid-Term Defense Plan Next Week

Korean-Style Three-Axis System Strengthening and Other National Tasks Expected to Be Included

The Defense Mid-Term Plan, which includes the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's first military force construction and operation plan, is expected to be announced as early as next week.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The medium-term defense plan, which outlines the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's first military force construction and operation plan, is expected to be announced as early as next week. As the National Assembly holds a plenary session and processes the 2023 budget bill, it is anticipated that the announcement will not be delayed beyond this year.

On the day, a military official stated, “Due to a standoff over the budget bill between the ruling and opposition parties, the medium-term defense plan has not yet been reported to the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, but with the agreement on the budget bill, it is scheduled to be announced simultaneously with the report to the National Assembly next week.”

The ‘2023?27 Medium-Term Defense Plan’ contains the military force construction and operation plans for the next five years, along with the corresponding financial investment measures. Typically, the ‘Medium-Term Defense Plan’ is announced in August, and the following year’s defense budget (government proposal) includes the budget to support it. However, this year, since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration began its term in May, the establishment of the medium-term defense plan was postponed until the end of the year.

It is known that the ‘2023?27 Medium-Term Defense Plan’ received President Yoon’s approval last week.

The medium-term defense plan is expected to include President Yoon’s election pledges and national agenda items confirmed during the Presidential Transition Committee. It is also reported to contain plans for improving soldiers’ welfare focusing on basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter, as well as unit operation plans in response to the decrease in military service personnel.

In particular, in the ‘Defense Capability Improvement’ sector, significant emphasis is expected to be placed on strengthening the Korean-style 3-axis system to respond to North Korea’s increasingly severe nuclear and missile threats. The ‘Korean-style 3-axis system’ refers to △the ‘Kill Chain,’ which preemptively strikes North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities in case of emergency, △the ‘Korean Air and Missile Defense’ (KAMD) system necessary to defend against North Korean attacks, and △the ‘Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation’ (KMPR) forces that retaliate against command centers and key facilities after an attack by North Korea.

On the 21st, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop also stated at the second half of the year all-army senior commanders meeting, “Regarding the Korean-style 3-axis system, we are prioritizing the allocation of next year’s defense budget to expand capabilities, and from next year, we have decided to increase investments related to advanced technology development to enhance high-power and ultra-precision strike capabilities.”

Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense reported to the National Assembly a plan to invest approximately 30 trillion won during the 2023?27 period to build 93 forces to strengthen the Korean-style 3-axis system. The budget was increased by 20 billion won for the F-X Phase 2 project, 173.882 billion won for the 230mm-class multiple launch rocket system project, and 80.033 billion won for the K-21 infantry fighting vehicle Phase 2 project.

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