Watching the strategic situation with Ukraine gives me nightmares.
I was a rifleman, machine gunner, assistant squad leader, and finally rifle squad leader in the ROKMC. All in 18 months. I went above and beyond what was expected of me to ensure I could do my job in the event of a hot war but the short and simple is that my short term of service meant that I didn't have the experience necessary to do my job at the level required without learning some tough lessons the hard way if things went hot (assuming I didn't die). And yet the ROK talks about further shortening the term of service, it's a political impossibility to talk about extending it, and there is a refusal to try and transition to some sort of contract/professional system. Combined with demographic collapse, this means that the ROK will face major strategic challenges with manpower in the event of a war.
All this has led to the country, on paper, transitioning to a "quality over quantity" approach to its infantry. In practice this just means buying shiny new gear to bring the force out of the early 2000's to be just barely up to standard with modern equipment, including night vision. Minimal new investments in training.
The fact of the matter is that the ROK has a lot of cultural baggage that sees infantry as a peasant class preventing a full-hearted transition, and there is more IJA baked into the military than I care to admit. All of this leads me to worry that the ROK will relapse into historical habits as we've seen Ukraine do, despite it's "NATO ally" status. Change is certainly happening, especially with the younger generations. But the MoD recently released an infamous memo that criticized young officers and NCOs for over-fetishizing American TTPs and equipment. We're on a knife's edge. However, I do think there's enough momentum, which when combined with the USA's immense integration into the ROK military, creates enough hope that any such relapse would be avoided.
Your article brought to the surface many thoughts I've been mulling over the years. Thanks.
Watching the strategic situation with Ukraine gives me nightmares.
I was a rifleman, machine gunner, assistant squad leader, and finally rifle squad leader in the ROKMC. All in 18 months. I went above and beyond what was expected of me to ensure I could do my job in the event of a hot war but the short and simple is that my short term of service meant that I didn't have the experience necessary to do my job at the level required without learning some tough lessons the hard way if things went hot (assuming I didn't die). And yet the ROK talks about further shortening the term of service, it's a political impossibility to talk about extending it, and there is a refusal to try and transition to some sort of contract/professional system. Combined with demographic collapse, this means that the ROK will face major strategic challenges with manpower in the event of a war.
All this has led to the country, on paper, transitioning to a "quality over quantity" approach to its infantry. In practice this just means buying shiny new gear to bring the force out of the early 2000's to be just barely up to standard with modern equipment, including night vision. Minimal new investments in training.
The fact of the matter is that the ROK has a lot of cultural baggage that sees infantry as a peasant class preventing a full-hearted transition, and there is more IJA baked into the military than I care to admit. All of this leads me to worry that the ROK will relapse into historical habits as we've seen Ukraine do, despite it's "NATO ally" status. Change is certainly happening, especially with the younger generations. But the MoD recently released an infamous memo that criticized young officers and NCOs for over-fetishizing American TTPs and equipment. We're on a knife's edge. However, I do think there's enough momentum, which when combined with the USA's immense integration into the ROK military, creates enough hope that any such relapse would be avoided.
Your article brought to the surface many thoughts I've been mulling over the years. Thanks.
Frye vs Takayama was an epic fight.