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 The government announced a plan on Feb. 5 to shorten the compulsory military service by six months. Accordingly, the current military service will be reduced by about 26 days every year, by six months until after mid-2014. This program will apply retroactively to the servicemen currently serving in the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. Debate has heated up over whether this plan is a "commendable decision" or a "national security threat."
In this regard, the military also plans to maintain 40,000-strong paid volunteer servicemen who are skillful in military specifics. Starting in 2008, military authorities will gradually increase the number of such military specialists by 1,000 to 1,500 every year until 2020. The government envisions reforming the current military structure as an elite one. The military service system is closely related to how to efficiently utilize young manpower. It seems appropriate to flexibly readjust the optimum level of military manpower in consideration of the current security concerns. We wonder if the latest government decision was made after closely reviewing the security situation and the optimum level of military manpower.
To justify its decision, the Defense Ministry cites several specific circumstances. Enumerated by the ministry are Koreans´ rather shorter working period than their counterparts´ in advanced countries and rising social costs caused by young men´s long mandatory military service and their joining the labor force late. Others are the poor barracks environment and the need to make the military structure tech-savvy and cutting-edge. The government reiterates the importance of utilizing manpower from the standpoint of utilizing human resources in the face of a low birthrate.
The government notes the need to utilize the surplus manpower accruing from shortening the military service according to the "Defense Reform 2020" program aimed at making the military an elite organization. The government plans to fill the void left by the shortening of the military service. To this end, it plans to extend the service of some enlisted men and women in such special military sectors as state-of-the-art technology or equipment, and recruit them as paid volunteers after they fulfill the mandatory service. Another choice is to enlist young recruits as paid volunteers for a service of three years.
But some defense analysts worry about the possibility of weakening combat capabilities as a result of shortened military service. They stress that there might arise a void in the military capabilities as a result of earlier discharge of specialists from military service. They criticize the new military service program for impairing the country´s defense posture. They also cite the possibility that the entire military structure will be weakened if the new system is implemented with disregard of North Korea´s military strength.
Many people worry that the new military service system will need more than 2 trillion won additionally. It would be necessary to create an appropriate service environment in order to prevent the entire military structure from getting weakened. It would cost much to improve training camps and equipment, and introduce cutting-edge combat simulation programs. Opposition parties call the government program a kind of political populism that disregards the reality of field operations and combat training. They also brand it as a "politically motivated" plan designed to win the voters´ hearts with the presidential election months ahead.
An important issue such as the shortening of the military service should be studied not from a political standpoint, but from a security viewpoint, taking the international situation, including Northeast Asia, into consideration. Any new military program should be implemented in a way that can contribute to the growth and development of the country. As an alternative, some people suggest an American-style "all-volunteer military service system." Despite the Defense Ministry´s opposition to this idea, this suggestion seems to be worth considering from a long-term point of view. | | |
