“Military Should Utilize Advanced Technologies of Companies Rather Than Developing Their Own”

Interview with Park Sunsang, Chairman of the Defense Information and Communications Association
Need to Create an Environment for Participation of Small and Medium IT Companies
Also Emphasizes the Necessity of Establishing a Specialized Organization to Lead Military IT Projects

Due to the geopolitical tensions caused by the Ukraine war, countries are engaging in an arms race. Especially with the increasing likelihood of former President Trump, who strongly advocates for nationalism, being elected, countries seem to be fueling their military expansion. In Europe, for instance, Sweden abandoned its neutral status and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), doubling its defense budget this year compared to 2020.

Park Soon-sang, Chairman of the Defense Information and Communication Association

In this atmosphere, K-defense industry has received a boost. Defense exports amounted to about $17.3 billion (approximately 22.5 trillion KRW) in 2022, $13 billion (approximately 16.9 trillion KRW) in 2023, and are targeting $20 billion (approximately 28 trillion KRW) in 2024. This is a remarkable growth achieved in a short period. However, there are areas lacking. The high value-added aerospace industry, which integrates cutting-edge technology, is weaker compared to the U.S., Russia, and Europe. The IT sector is similar. We met with Park Soon-sang, chairman of the Defense Information and Communication Association and former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Command and Communication Division, to hear about the current status of our military IT.

Chairman Park said that the success of K-defense exports is partly due to the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars. However, he pointed out that “the domestic IT level related to defense is serious,” meaning there is no accumulated technology. Park criticized, “The personal combat radio project failed, and the direction shifted to commercial purchases. The FM radios responsible for communication during maneuvers centered on commanders and staff have not been properly operated and are being discarded.”

Choosing Commercial Purchase Over Combat Development

He listed several technologies where we lag behind foreign defense companies. A representative technology is Ad-hoc. Ad-hoc refers to a communication method where devices communicate directly without using communication infrastructure like base stations. It has the advantage of effectively building a network in environments where external communication networks are cut off, such as wartime, aircraft, ships, and disasters. There is also manned-unmanned combined technology. Advanced countries like the U.S. use these technologies to create next-generation networks centered on combatants called MANET (Mobile Ad-hoc Network) and FANET (Flying Ad-hoc Network), which enable network linkage with aerial drone assets.

Chairman Park pointed out that the technology with the largest gap compared to foreign countries is broadband Software Defined Radio (SDR). The SDR method refers to technology that installs new software without hardware replacement to change the frequency band, modulation/demodulation method, output power, etc., of the transceiver.

Ukraine Purchased Equipment from Amazon and Utilized It

Park said, “The SDR equipment that was developed domestically for nearly 20 years but failed can now be purchased on Amazon for just a few hundred dollars. The GPS SDR receiver actually used by Ukraine to identify Russian military command posts can be bought online for $499, about 670,000 KRW.” To win a war, it is essential to quickly utilize the latest technologies on the battlefield. He emphasized, “The U.S. military purchased MANET from companies and applied it to each combat platform, reducing wasteful investment in developing fundamental technologies.”

He also pointed out problems in the domestic defense IT sector. Park said, “The domestically developed digital tactical communication system (SPIDER) and tactical information communication system (TICN) each took 20 years to develop, and during the development period, new technologies were not applied, which was a mistake. Standardization and cataloging systems acted as shackles.” Our military proceeded with the TICN project to replace SPIDER. The TICN project, with an investment of 4.5 trillion KRW, applies domestic WiBro technology to connect command control and weapon systems wirelessly and wired.

Monopoly by Specific Companies Hinders IT Military Capability

Park proposed policies that allow domestic small and medium IT companies to participate in projects. He said, “In the U.S., when introducing military communication equipment, products from 3 to 4 companies are selected according to purpose. A method where a specific company monopolizes production is only an obstacle to demonstrating advanced IT military capabilities.”

He also stressed the need for a professional organizational structure. He said, “The U.S. Department of Defense has established an organization dealing with video information-related IT, and the Army has the Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), which leads military IT projects.”