Cadets of the Korea Military Academy marching in ceremonial dress. The 'Civil-Military Joint Special Advisory Committee for Overcoming Internal Rebellion and Designing Future Defense,' which recommended the dissolution and reorganization of the Defense Counterintelligence Command in January, proposed an integrated military academy. This proposal included allowing graduates to engage in defense-related work in addition to officer roles upon entering society, and significantly shortening the mandatory service period. [Photo = Yonhap News]

The Ministry of National Defense is hastily pushing forward with the integration of the military academies, using the President's pledge as justification. The recent plan proposed by the Ministry of National Defense's task force for academy integration is shocking.

This is the so-called '2+2 academic system reform plan,' which proposes jointly educating first and second-year cadets at an 'Integrated Military Academy' to be newly established in Jaun-dae, Chungnam, with specialized training for third and fourth-year students conducted by each branch. If this reform plan passes the plenary session of the National Assembly this December, the Korea Naval Academy will maintain its cadet corps in Jinhae and the Korea Air Force Academy in Cheongju, but the Korea Military Academy, with its 80-year tradition, will have to leave Taereung and relocate to Jangseong, Jeonnam.

Furthermore, some are even advocating for the closure of the Korea Military Academy, using the 12.12 military coup as a pretext to dismantle the 'military academy cartel.' This reveals the true intentions behind the push for an integrated military academy. It is a disastrous idea that undermines the century-long plan for national security under the guise of military structural reform, and a political perversion that shakes the foundation of the military.

As a retired serviceman and a citizen concerned about national security, I take up my pen to sound a strong alarm against this perilous security outrage.

The justifications presented by the government – 'responding to declining population' and 'balanced regional development' – are nothing more than hollow rhetoric that ignores the essence of national security. The fatal contradictions of this reform plan can be summarized into three points.

First, the Integrated Military Academy is a hasty restructuring with reversed objectives and procedures

Military organizational reform must be driven by the future battlefield environment. If the stated goal of 'enhancing jointness' for the integration of military academies is genuine, then reforms to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is Army-centric, and a redefinition of military strategy must precede it.

It is contradictory to first merge the educational institutions that train future officers while neglecting the structural overhaul of the head and body. This is not driven by security needs, but by a political zombie-like impulse to dismantle organizations that are inconvenient within one's term.

Second, the Integrated Military Academy is self-destructive, eroding the expertise and identity of each military branch

Modern and future warfare is a battle of expertise, characterized by highly precise advanced weapon systems and the unique characteristics of each military branch. The Army on land, the Navy for maritime supremacy, and the Air Force for air control operate in fundamentally different battlefield environments.

The cadet period is a 'golden time' to deeply instill expertise, organizational culture, and military spirit tailored to each branch's unique battlefield environment. This is why even the United States, boasting the world's strongest military, operates its service academies independently rather than merging them.

Ignoring these unique characteristics and forcing cadets into a standardized education within a single framework is an act of annihilating military diversity and creativity. Moreover, it is unrealistic to expect the pride and psychological stability of elite officers in an environment where cadets are educated while constantly moving like refugees.

If the 80-year-old educational systems of each branch collapse, the influx of excellent security talent will plummet. It is only a matter of time before the Navy and Air Force experience morale degradation and overall military power weakens due to a 'bias' towards the Army, which has the largest troop numbers and units.

Achieving 'jointness' with other branches is a natural progression in defense education, acquired through post-commissioning professional development and joint exercises. Forcing together cadets who haven't mastered the basics will only produce officers lacking branch identity.

Third, the Integrated Military Academy is a ploy to transition to an 'Integrated Command System' under the guise of jointness

True jointness is achieved when the expertise of each military branch is maximized. The proposed method of reform appears to be a prelude to a transition to a single, integrated command by blurring the boundaries between the branches.

The attempt to neutralize the three-service system, which has independent operational capabilities and traditions, is inconsistent with global military structures. It will create critical vulnerabilities in our security environment. Despite the grand facade of an 'Integrated Military Academy,' it is, in reality, nothing more than a political anti-military project aimed at fracturing officer corps cohesion and destabilizing the internal military structure.

Tearing apart the cradle of national defense, built with blood and sweat during the Korean War, to suit the tastes of the current administration is an act of self-inflicted security damage that dismantles the spiritual home of retired servicemen who dedicated their lives to the nation and the training ground for cadets.

Shaking the military academies, the very soul of the armed forces, is the most insidious form of organizational disintegration, incapacitating the military without firing a single shot.

We must not sow seeds of political confrontation and confusion in the hearts of cadets who are expected to sacrifice their lives for their country in times of conflict, instead of pride. I recently saw students at a certain university risking their bodies to defend their alma mater. How can elite warriors who have protected the nation from enemy threats for a lifetime fail to defend their alma mater and a bastion of national security against the tyranny of the current regime?

The government must immediately cease its actions that lower military morale and waste security energy through unnecessary political provocations. The public and retired servicemen will watch with wide-open eyes to see who these individuals are who seek to make the heart of national security, on which the fate of the nation hangs, a sacrificial lamb for political games.

History will surely condemn this act of self-inflicted security damage, and the military must unwavering defend the security legitimacy of the Republic of Korea and the tradition of the military academies until the very end.

◆ Park Pil-gyu

Editorial Committee Member, Hankook Ilbo

40th graduating class, Korea Military Academy