(ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol government has revealed its plans to significantly increase its military drone fleet by 2026, aiming to bolster readiness against North Korea’s unmanned aerial threats.
Chaired by National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin, the presidential Defence Innovation Committee meeting focused on enhancing drone capabilities directly linked to military readiness, as stated by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office.
“Our military aims to dramatically enhance its readiness posture against threats posed by North Korea’s unmanned aerial vehicles by securing more than double the current level of drones by 2026,” Yoon’s office said in a statement issued following the meeting.
To achieve this goal, the government intends to diversify acquisition methods by fast-tracking the procurement of locally-made commercial drones and hastening the deployment of drones currently in the research and development phase for active combat use.
Another key component was to increase budget allocations to rapidly acquire a significant number of drones.
Yoon’s office, however, did not disclose the type of drones Seoul was looking to acquire, or how much government budget would be spent to execute the plan.
The announcement came after South Korean military forces established the Drone Operations Command in Pocheon, a town in Gyeonggi Province near the border of the two Koreas, in September.
The fledgling military unit was established in response to North Korea’s military provocation in December 2022, during which North Korea sent drones to South Korea, let them fly in South Korean airspace near Seoul. The drones then returned to North Korea.
At the meeting, the 10-member committee also discussed ways to boost combat effectiveness.
According to the government, state funding for weapon modernisation programmes will amount to five per cent of the total state budget to improve the South’s defence capabilities, up from the current level of one per cent.
The plan is meant to enhance South Korean forces’ combat readiness. Yoon’s office did not disclose the details about its timeframe.
The budget for improving defence capabilities came to about 30 per cent of the 2024 defence budget in South Korea, which amounted to KRW59.4 trillion (USD43.1 billion).
Moreover, the Defence Ministry also unveiled its plan to improve the living conditions for South Korean Army, Navy and Air Force soldiers stationed along the border and address a constant decline in South Korea’s noncommissioned officers enlistment rate.
The Defence Innovation Committee has held four meetings since its commencement in May 2023. Before Thursday’s meeting, all three meetings were presided over by Yoon.
Among the committee’s members are Chang, director of the presidential National Security Office; Defence Minister Shin Won-sik; and eight civilians including former Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin. Shin did not attend Thursday’s meeting.
