[Defense Brief] Military Civil Support Should Consider Expertise

Soldiers Should Not Be Deployed for Excessive Civil Support
Under the Pretext of "Operations"

I served my military duty in Inje-gun, Gangwon-do. The villagers near the base made their living through farming. It was a typical rural area. During seasons when labor was scarce, soldiers went out to the fields every weekend. This was civil support. They pulled weeds and sprayed pesticides. There were no complaints. Fatigue quickly disappeared with a glass of Makgeolli handed over by the village elders who said they were having a hard time, and the "homemade cigarettes." However, the residents' dissatisfaction grew. They protested to the commander, saying, "Why do you provide civil support to the neighbors but not help with our farm work?" Each time, the commander bowed his head and apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."

When the local government sends a cooperation letter, the military base decides on civil support after a meeting according to regulations. Since the military can deploy a large number of personnel in a short time, they have supported the community unless there were special circumstances. They were deployed not only for natural disasters such as heavy snow and torrential rain but also to manage social disasters like avian influenza (AI), livestock diseases, and COVID-19. Last year, the cumulative number of soldiers involved in civil support exceeded one million.

However, soldiers assigned to civil support are allocated regardless of their expertise or experience. A representative case is Marine Corps Corporal Chae Su-geun from Gyeongbuk Yecheon, who lost his life while searching for flood victims. It was unreasonable for an artillery battalion soldier, who does not conduct underwater operations, to search fast-flowing water without wearing a life jacket or safety rope.

Last year, the Marine Corps deployed amphibious armored vehicles to Pohang City, Gyeongbuk, which suffered flood damage from Typhoon Hinnamnor, rescuing citizens. The Marine Corps' efforts at that time spread through social networking services (SNS), earning applause from many citizens. Due to such cases, there are complaints that commanders continue to deploy soldiers to civil support under the pretext of "operations," even in unreasonable situations.

The civil support activity directive stated that support should be provided "within the scope that does not interfere with military operational missions." Although this directive has now disappeared, losing lives would effectively make military operations impossible. This is why voices are calling to draw a line against excessive civil support.

South Korea spends 57 trillion won annually on national defense, ranking in the top 10 worldwide. However, many soldiers regard the military as a place where life is wasted. Given the continuous loss of lives during civil support deployments, this perception is somewhat understandable.

Israel, surrounded by great powers and neighboring countries whose provocations could erupt at any time, is similar to South Korea in that regard, but the image of the military is different. Israel has high pride in its military. When entering society, the originating military unit is considered more important than the school attended. The reason is simple: serving in Unit 8200, the cyber intelligence unit known to be tougher than entering a prestigious university, allows veterans to leverage their military experience for entrepreneurship after discharge. Units are also assigned according to the characteristics of their members. The Arab nomadic Bedouin tribe living in northern Israel is assigned to special reconnaissance units that patrol deserts and detect tunnels. Their expertise is naturally high.

To become a military organization respected and trusted by the public, soldiers must be assigned appropriately. Sending troops to civil support unrelated to military operations should not be regarded as an achievement by commanders. It is also inappropriate for each branch of the military to competitively release press statements about how many soldiers were deployed for civil support. When the military values the lives of soldiers, they can take pride in their military and their uniforms. The public also expects such soldiers.