국방개혁 2.0과 연계한 예비전력 정예화 혁신적 개선방안 고찰

Abstract

The ROK military is working on the Defense Reform 2.0 to secure national defense and national security amid various changes including the transitional security situation, the demographic cliff, the 4th industrial revolution and improved public consciousness. Reserve forces are a critical factor for securing national defense, as they are the key element of the ability to continue the war, accounting for approximately 73% of the wartime gross requirement. Despite its indispensibility, the ROK Reserve is currently not fully meeting such needs. The national contingency plan and the military operation plan based on availability of the Reserve are in place, but it is doubtful whether physical and human resources can be mobilized in a timely manner when necessary. Against this backdrop, this study proposes innovative actions to improve the Reserve. The first action is to improve the Reserve service postponement system, including improvement of laws and institutions applicable to partial mobilization. Secondly, the Reserve needs to be optimally structured. Thirdly, the mobilization system focusing on specific forces specialized in mobilization needs to be adopted. Fourthly, reserve forces serving in peace time needs to be expanded. Fifthly, we need to dramatically improve the scientific training system for reserve forces. It is expected that the innovative plans to improve the Reserve will provide solutions for challenging issues such as reduction of standing forces and shortening of the service period, efficiently contributing to the defense reform. Above actions to improve the Reserve require the public consensus and support. The military will need to reaffirm that the military is a critical player for national security and to strengthen its efforts to better serve the country.