[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] How to Build the Strongest Reserve Forces

Growing Need to Strengthen Reserve Forces Amid Population Cliff
Reserve Forces Budget Only 0.45% of Defense Spending
Need to Revise Related Laws and Budget

Since its establishment in 1968, the Reserve Forces have played roles in over 90 combat situations and more than 40 disaster sites. President Yoon Suk-yeol, on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Reserve Forces Day, emphasized, "We will reinforce the weapon systems of mobilization units to the level of standing units and expand the operation of the non-active reserve system," adding, "We will establish a scientific reserve training system and improve training conditions by realizing reserve compensation payments."

The reason for strengthening the reserve forces is their high reliance in wartime situations. The United States, boasting the world's strongest military power, is no exception. During the American Civil War, the vast majority of the Confederate Army (80%) and the Union Army (96%) were reserves. The U.S. Reserve Forces number over 850,000, exceeding half of the active-duty personnel (approximately 1.45 million).

When the Israeli military launched a military operation against the armed group Hamas in July 2014, the power of the reserve forces was also proven. About 40,000 reservists were mobilized at that time. The duties of the reservists were not limited to rear support such as guard duty. They were involved in almost all operations, from detecting Hamas tunnels and weapon hiding places to attacking related facilities. This demonstrated that Israel's reserve forces are equivalent to the regular army (standing forces) and even surpass the regular army in terms of combat experience. Following this military operation, Israel strengthened its reserve forces, increasing their number to 460,000, more than twice the active-duty personnel (170,000). The annual mobilization training period also reached 38 days, which is ten times longer than our reserve mobilization training (2 nights and 3 days).

The Proportion of Reserve Forces is Large in the U.S. and Israel... Reserve Forces Should Be Included in the National Military Organization Act and Budget Increased

There is also a strong call to strengthen reserve forces. This is because manpower is being reduced due to the demographic cliff. The number of personnel is decreasing by 23,600 annually over five years, equivalent to losing 2.3 divisions each year. Additionally, the reduction of service periods (to 3 months) and the introduction of alternative service systems are exacerbating difficulties. In contrast, North Korea operates 6.5 million reservists in addition to 1.28 million active-duty troops, raising concerns.

Accordingly, the military authorities plan to establish an advanced training system and increase the number of non-active reservists to enhance reserve force readiness. According to the 'Regularization Plan for Reserve Forces' recently announced by the Ministry of National Defense, a 'Reserve Force Management Battalion' will be established in the Navy by the end of this year. The Navy Reserve Force Management Battalion will be responsible for systematic management, operation, education, and training of maritime reserve forces such as reserve ships and mobilization vessels, crew mobilization personnel, and wartime loss replacement personnel, as well as the designation and management of mobilization ship resources.

Regarding the non-active reserve system currently under trial operation, the military plans to evaluate its effectiveness by diversifying service types and days (40 to 180 days). Accordingly, the military aims to increase the number of long- and short-term non-active reservists from the current approximately 4,400 to about 5,000 by 2025, and expand it to around 10,000 in the long term.

Furthermore, the military plans to improve the reserve training grounds into scientific training centers equipped with advanced technologies, and upgrade the 63 mobilization training grounds nationwide to the level of scientific reserve training centers. Advanced training systems such as indoor shooting ranges, video simulation simulators, and practical training using MILES equipment are expected to be applied to mobilization training grounds. The military also plans to reinforce the core weapon systems of all mobilization divisions under the Army Mobilization Command to the level of standing divisions by 2025.

However, voices are also calling for budget and legislative amendments as a priority. This year, the budget for reserve force power projects is 261.6 billion won, accounting for only 0.45% of the total defense budget. The reserve force power project budget is less than 1% of the defense budget. Additionally, there is an urgent opinion that legislative amendments are needed to include the reserve forces in the National Military Organization Act to support the reserve forces.

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