ROK Army to Cut Force by 25%
The ROK Army will begin making cuts to reduce troop strength by 25% by 2020:
Korea’s military is to become a leaner, fitter fighting machine in the next 15 years. By 2020, the Army’s 13 corps could be reduced to six, its 47 division cut by about 20, and total troop strength reduced from 680,000 to about 500,000. Korea’s reserve force would be reduced from 3.04 million to 1.5 million. The forces could put more emphasis on volunteers for special forces while paying salaries to soldiers who wish to stay on once they have completed their mandatory military service.
IMHO this cut in forces is more related to the current reality that mandatory service is not a viable long term strategy to fielding a lethal ROK Army. Within the next 15 years the American presence if their is any at all in Korea will be very minimal and all these anti-USFK groups will need to find a new boogy man to protest and that will be the ROK Army.
The current affluent youth compared to their parents are not happy with the mandatory service system because it interfers with their lives and they have been brought up to believe North Korea is not a threat thus why do they need to serve? The withdrawal of US forces only reinforces this because notion because then they will think that not even the Americans think the North Koreans are a threat anymore. I think it is safe to say that within 15 years Korea may need to convert to an all volunteer force. To do that, however, requires a cut in forces to pay for an upgrade in pay, benefits, and living facilities. This does not even take into account the amount of increased military technology Korea will need to pay in order to replace the loss of USFK forces on the peninsula. These cuts may the beginning movements towards an all volunteer force.
another way to look at this is as the r.o.k. making a virtue out of a necessity. the fact is that in the next few years there is going to be substantially fewer young korean men of military age as the current baby bust moves through the demographic.
“These cuts may the beginning movements towards an all Democratic People’s Volunteer force.”
Oh, and one more thing … in order to get you out of your mental pink skirt, and to spiritually join the "Band of Brothers" — read this, to inspire your currently limp and flaccid warrior ethos.
http://www.newtotalitarians.com/ThoughtsOnW-I-C.h…
Then start talking and watch your hits sky-rocket.
Yes, but will this all-volunteer Korean Army follow the metro-sexualized path of the all-volunteer American Army?
You know: looking buff, trimmed-down, more flexible and pretty with all sorts of technological cosmetics and bling bling … undergirded with the warrior ethos that is NOT AFRAID TO CRY… feeling secure with one's sexuality … unless confronted with anti-Americanism.
GI, this may be a long article for a mind like yours … but read it! Be a soldier! You will understand yourself, USFK leadership, and Korean inspired brain-washing techniques alot more clearly — I guarantee you will have some intellectual meat, instead of your fluffy junk-food comments.
http://www.newtotalitarians.com/NancyShermanDilem…
It’s funny that you say,
“These cuts may the beginning movements towards an all volunteer force.”
because Korea, in addition to all the manpower cuts, is investigating on paying soldiers salary who decide to stay in the military after the mandatory service is over. Korea is even discussing paying some military units, an outright paid salary, even before they begin to serve (isn’t that what you call voluntary service?). With a very low birth rate, it won’t be long before Korea does fully implement a professional all voluntary service system.