Test Voyage of Navy Ship with Only Military Officers on Board

Navy Faces Decline in Enlistment Rates and Future Manpower Cliff
From February, 3 Ships Including Guided Missile Fast Attack Craft to be Piloted

The Navy is conducting trial operations of vessels manned only by officers without enlisted personnel. The trial operation of soldier-free vessels is interpreted as a response to the declining enlistment rate for Navy soldiers.

On the afternoon of the 4th, the Navy's 2nd Fleet conducted live-fire exercises and tactical maneuver training for anti-air and anti-ship operations off the coast of Taean, Chungnam. The exercises involved the destroyer Eulji Mundeok (3,200 tons), the frigate Cheongju (1,500 tons), the guided missile fast attack craft Hong Siwook (450 tons), and a patrol boat (230 tons), along with aircraft. The Cheongju is conducting live-fire training for anti-ship operations. Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to the military on the 8th, the Navy began operating three "officer-only trial ships," including the Incheon-class frigate (FFG, 2,500 tons), in March last year, and since February, added three guided missile fast attack craft (PKG, 450 tons) to the trial fleet. The purpose is to operate various vessels, from medium-sized frigates to small guided missile fast attack craft, staffed only by non-commissioned officers and officers. Operating surface ship crews entirely with officers, excluding submarines, is unprecedented.

The Navy plans to evaluate the results of the trial operations within this year and decide whether to add more trial ships or extend the trial period. The applicant ratio compared to the Navy soldier quota decreased from 173.5% in 2020 and 225.3% in 2021 to 124.9% in 2022. Accordingly, the actual enlistment rate compared to the quota, excluding those who failed, sharply dropped from 100.5% in 2020 and 94.3% in 2021 to 70.1% in 2022.

Restrictions on cellphone use during deployment and the inability to take leave or go out while serving on vessels are cited as reasons for the decline in Navy enlistment rates. The Navy's service period of 20 months, which is two months longer than the Army's 18 months, is also one of the reasons for the decrease in conscripts applying to the Navy. Due to the impact of low birth rates, the overall manpower resources are expected to sharply decline in the future, leading to an even further decrease in conscripts applying to the Navy.

A Navy official stated, "We are conducting a trial operation of fully officer-manned vessels to address manpower issues caused by the decrease in conscription resources and to secure operational expertise for vessels," adding, "Based on the results of the trial operation, we plan to consider expanding the operation."

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