Air Force, Navy to get more ministry, JCS representation

General-level officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force are expected to equally share key decision-making posts at the Defense Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff by the end of next year, a government source said Wednesday.

The move is aimed at enhancing interoperability among the three armed services and addressing the Army’s dominance in the military’s decision-making processes, which has long been a source of discontent among Navy and Air Force officers.

“The measure to balance the proportion of Army, Navy and Air Force general-grade officers at key posts in the ministry and the JCS was included as one of the short-term defense reform steps that would occur between 2011 and 2012,” the source said, requesting anonymity.

In December, the presidential committee on defense advancement reported to President Lee Myung-bak this measure and other plans aimed at revamping the military, whose combat readiness has been questioned following the two deadly North Korean attacks last year, which together killed 50 South Koreans.

“If there were a strong resistance from the Navy and Air Force who could take issue with the proportion of generals at the key posts, it would be difficult for us to successfully push for the defense reform,” the source said.

Due to the overwhelming number of ground troops, Army generals have taken most of the top military posts in charge of operational command, military support and strategic planning. Critics have derided the ministry and the JCS, calling them the “Army Ministry” and the “Joint Chiefs of the Army.”

Currently, the ratio of JCS generals from the Army, Navy and Air Force is 2.7:1:1, respectively. The ratio of JCS colonel-level officers is 2.3:1:1, respectively.

The number of South Korean troops stands at around 650,000, which breaks down into about 520,000 in the Army, 68,000 in the Navy ― including about 27,000 Marines ― and 65,000 in the Air Force.

Criticizing the “unbalanced” decision-making processes in the military which center on the Army, some military officials and experts have called for a shift in the organization of the key military posts.

The ministry is expected to report 73 short-term reform measures to President Lee sometime this week, military sources said.

Among the measures is reviving an incentive system giving extra scores in recruitment exams to those who have fulfilled their military duty as part of measures to boost troop morale.

Another is to establish the joint military command aimed at enhancing interoperability. The four-star general to lead the envisioned command is to be given greater authority than the current JCS chief.

Other measures include creating a special command to safeguard the western border islands and realizing the “proactive deterrence” strategy to effectively deal with North Korean threats.

The committee on defense advancement recommended such reform measures to the president in December. It also recommended to the president that the number of generals ― currently standing at around 430 ― be reduced by 20 percent by 2020.

The civilian committee, led by Lee Sang-woo, former head of Hallym University, was established in December 2009 to play an advisory role to facilitate defense reform efforts.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)