Text Fwd: Army, Navy, Air Force to equally share key posts at defense ministry, JCS

Yonhap News
Jan. 12, 2011
Army, Navy, Air Force to equally share key posts at defense ministry, JCS

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- General-grade officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force are expected to equally share key posts at the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) by the end of next year, as part of efforts to enhance interoperability among the three wings of the military, a government source said Wednesday.

The move is in line with a recommendation proposed by the commission created by President Lee Myung-bak early last year to overhaul the military's combat readiness in the wake of North Korea's torpedo attack of a South Korean warship, the source said.

Under the recommendation by the Presidential Commission for National Security Review, the defense ministry and JCS were told to reduce the heavy reliance on Army officers at key posts of operational command, military assistance and strategic planning.

South Korea's 650,000-strong military is dominated by ground troops, with its sea and air defense supported by U.S. troops here. Critics say the Army's dominance in the South's military is one of the major factors hindering its operability.

The commission recommended that the ministry and the JCS balance the number of Army, Navy and Air Force general-grade officers at the key posts with a 1:1:1 ratio, respectively, from the current ratio of 2.7:1:1, the source said.

"The task of balancing the proportion of general-grade officers at key decision-making posts was included into one of the short-term military reform measures that would occur between 2011 and 2012," the source said on the condition of anonymity.

"The reason the presidential commission proposed the recommendation is aimed at fostering the balanced development of the Army, Navy and Air Force and improving the interoperability of them," the source said. "There is the need to change the current decision-making process that centers on the Army."

The defense ministry is due to report its 73-point military reform package to President Lee this week.

Tensions have remained acute since North Korea sank the Cheonan warship in March, killing 46 sailors, and launched an unprovoked artillery attack on a southern island near the Yellow Sea border in November, in which two marines and two civilians died.

The North's two attacks revealed weaknesses in the South's defense posture and highlighted shortcomings of the current command structure dominated by the Army.

One of the key reform measures is to create a top military command structure this year to replace the JCS, a key part of the military's plans to improve its interoperability.

A four-star officer who will lead the new Joint Forces Command is to wield more command authority than the current chairman of the JCS, officials said.

South Korea is still technically at war with North Korea, which boasts the world's fifth-largest military force of 1.1 million. The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

kdh@yna.co.kr
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