South Korea plans to train entire military as "drone warriors"
South Korea plans to train every single member of its nearly half-million-strong military to operate drones as easily as they handle personal firearms. That ambitious goal was announced as the South Korean military seeks to maintain a technological edge in its 70-year border standoff with the larger military of a hostile North Korea. The goal is to make drones a “universal combat tool” for all troops by training them to use drones like a “second personal weapon,” said Ahn Gyu-back, South Korea’s
South Korea announced plans to train its entire nearly half-million-strong military to operate drones as a "universal combat tool," with the goal of making drone use as standard as handling personal firearms. The country is pursuing this strategy to maintain a technological edge against North Korea's larger military force, inspired by how Ukraine has used drones to offset numerical disadvantages against Russia. South Korea faces practical challenges including a shrinking conscripted military due to declining birthrate, the need to source drones without Chinese components for security reasons, and a shortage of officers and noncommissioned officers to conduct training. The military plans to deploy 60,000 training drones across its forces by 2029, though the source notes that Ukraine, the model for this approach, does not actually train its entire military as drone pilots but instead uses specialized drone operator teams supporting front-line units.
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