Yoon Emphasizes Combat-Ready Strong Military... "Transforming with Overwhelming Response Capability and Efficient Military Structure"

Inauguration Ceremony and 1st Meeting of the Defense Innovation Committee
Appointment of 8 Civilian Members Including Former Minister Kim Kwan-jin
Yoon: "Must Maintain Overwhelming Military Strength Compared to North Korea"

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized the importance of a combat-ready strong military capable of winning battles, stating on the 11th that the goal of the military's defense innovation is "for our armed forces to develop overwhelming response capabilities against North Korea's increasingly sophisticated nuclear and missile threats, and to transform into an efficient military structure that aligns with changes in the domestic and international strategic environment."

President Yoon attended the launch ceremony and the first meeting of the 'Defense Innovation Committee' held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, stating, "A large-scale reform and change equivalent to a second founding of the military is necessary across all areas of our military's defense operation system."

At the start of the first meeting, President Yoon pointed out, "The security environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula is rapidly changing, with North Korea's nuclear threats becoming more advanced, and science and technology developing rapidly worldwide."

Having previously emphasized the importance of the Korean-style three-axis system, President Yoon once again stressed the need to improve surveillance and defense capabilities against North Korean threats, as well as legal and institutional reforms for defense innovation. He said, "We must prioritize securing surveillance and analysis capabilities over the entire North Korean territory, ultra-precision and high-power strike capabilities to accurately hit targets, and complex, multi-layered air defense capabilities. Above all, we must possess overwhelming military power to preemptively deter North Korea's provocative mindset."

President Yoon particularly stated, "We need to reorganize laws, systems, and defense organizations to timely introduce new technologies into the defense sector in line with the pace of civilian scientific and technological advancements." He also requested, "Please prepare measures to establish a Strategic Command to integrate and operate the strategic capabilities dispersed across each branch of the military, optimize the military's command and control system for rapid decision-making, and drastically improve service conditions so that young people who choose the military can devote themselves to their service."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also mentioned the possibility of establishing a Strategic Command. President Yoon explained, "We are considering establishing a Strategic Command to strengthen jointness among the three branches of the military and to integrate and efficiently operate the dispersed forces of each branch. It is also necessary to optimize the military's command and control system for rapid decision-making."

Amid the Ministry of National Defense's recent legislative notice on the establishment of a 'Drone Operations Command' through the enactment of the 'Drone Operations Command Ordinance,' President Yoon emphasized operational capabilities using manned and unmanned systems. He urged, "We must develop the military's structure and operational capabilities to conduct operations by complexly operating manned and unmanned systems such as drones and robots."

The Defense Innovation Committee is a presidential advisory committee established under the regulations on the composition and operation of the Defense Innovation Committee (Presidential Decree) enacted in December last year. The chairman is the president, and the members consist of the Minister of National Defense, the Director of the National Security Office, and eight civilian members appointed by the president.

At the launch ceremony held prior to the meeting, four military security experts were appointed as civilian members: former Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin, former Chief of Naval Staff Kim Pan-gyu (Professor at Hanyang University Creative Convergence Education Institute), former Chief of Air Staff Lee Geon-wan (Professor of Aviation Operations at Cheongju University), and former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Jung Yeon-bong (Deputy Director of the Korea Institute for National Strategy). Four defense science and technology experts were also appointed: Professor Kim Seung-joo of Korea University’s Cyber Defense Department, former Director of the Agency for Defense Development Kim In-ho (Professor at KAIST Security Convergence Institute), Professor Lee Seung-seop of KAIST Mechanical Engineering Department, and Senior Research Fellow Ha Tae-jung of the Science and Technology Policy Institute.

The Defense Innovation Committee will review matters related to plans for promoting defense innovation, inter-agency policy coordination, legislation and amendment of laws, and budget procurement.

During the discussion at the meeting, committee members and key government and military officials discussed core agenda items to be addressed by the Defense Innovation Committee in the future. President Yoon urged, "For the successful promotion of defense innovation, I ask the government and military to work together and actively support the Defense Innovation Committee."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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