ed Shortening military service

How long is an appropriate period of mandatory military service? Of course, it varies from country to country and there is no correct answer to the question. But for parents and their sons, the answer might be ― the shorter, the better.

President–elect Park Geun-hye pledged to shorten the mandatory period of service by three months to 18 months during the final stretch of her election campaign late last year, apparently conscious of young voters who were poised to overwhelmingly support Moon Jae-in, her opposition rival who had already made a pledge to reduce the term.

Now her hastily-built campaign promise is arousing concern among defense experts because of its seemingly unrealistic nature. The question is, will it be possible to cut the compulsory service period at a time when the nation is grappling with a shortage of military manpower due to the world’s lowest birthrate?

The Ministry of National Defense estimates that the military would suffer from an annual shortage of 27,000 soldiers by 2030 if the pledge is kept from this year. This calculation is in line with the government’s ongoing defense reform plan to reduce the number of troops to 522,000 by 2022 from the current 639,000. What’s more, the shortage could worsen, given the country’s rapidly aging population.

Park’s transition team says the pledge can be met by hiring 2,000 non-commissioned officers a year over five years, but it’s doubtful whether the problem can be addressed with the new employment of only 10,000 personnel. Rather, the defense ministry argues that at least 30,000 non-commissioned officers must be hired to make up for the manpower shortage at a cost of 1 trillion won, including expenses for their housing and welfare.

Aside from the budgetary constraint, the nation may suffer from weakened combat capabilities as draftees are discharged from the army earlier.

In principle, making professional officers replace draftees is a step in the right direction, considering fundamental problems in our conscription system. But what is disturbing is the nation’s chronic budgetary crunch and this problem will be all the more serious, given Park’s other costly election pledges, including one calling for doubling soldiers’ monthly pay.

In fact, the security situation in Northeast Asia doesn’t warrant complacency. Apart from continuing military threats from North Korea, territorial disputes may heighten military tensions in this region at any time.

It’s quite regrettable that Park included a crucial security issue in her campaign platform hurriedly without due consideration and this kind of irresponsible decision making must be stopped. Shortening the military service period is a task to be pursued gradually and we urge the transition team to avoid reaching a hasty conclusion.