Establishment of Military Forces Equipped with Manned and Unmanned Systems

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps will establish pilot units with manned-unmanned combined systems similar to the Army's 'Army Tiger Brigade.'

President Yoon Suk-yeol received a report from the Ministry of National Defense on the 22nd containing this plan. On the morning of the same day, President Yoon received sequential one-on-one reports from Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop at the Yongsan Presidential Office building.

The military plans to actively utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to build a three-stage system: AI-based 'multi-source video fusion system,' followed by GOP and coastal surveillance systems (Stage 1: initial autonomy), manned-unmanned combined combat systems (Stage 2: semi-autonomy), and ultimately a hyper-connected combat system (Stage 3: full autonomy).

To this end, the Navy's 5th Fleet will verify manned-unmanned combined mine clearance operations, and the Air Force's 20th Fighter Wing will explore the possibility of combined operations of manned and unmanned aircraft, including stealth drones. The Marine Corps' 1st Division reported plans to apply the concept of manned-unmanned combined amphibious operations by operating amphibious assault armored vehicles and obstacle-clearing robots.

To comprehensively promote these AI adoption efforts, the government plans to establish the 'Defense AI Center' led by civilian experts as director by 2024, aiming to cultivate about 1,000 specialized personnel over the next five years through collaboration with civilian graduate schools to lead AI dissemination. This is the first time the military has presented a roadmap for establishing an integrated AI center, including detailed establishment plans this year and the operation of a task force next year.