About 40 Military Helicopters to Be Designated as Immediate Deployment Assets
The Ministry of National Defense and the Korea Forest Service have agreed to strengthen cooperation, including more actively deploying military assets, to effectively respond to large-scale wildfires and similar disasters.
On July 9, the Ministry of National Defense and the Korea Forest Service announced that they had reached this agreement during the final meeting of the "Government-Military Wildfire Suppression Cooperation Council," which was held on July 2. Previously, the two agencies had sought ways to strengthen cooperation by holding 11 meetings since April, following the occurrence of large wildfires in the North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang regions earlier this year.
Accordingly, the Ministry of National Defense plans to designate around 40 military helicopters as immediate deployment assets and to pre-assign additional helicopters as reserve forces, enabling close coordination with the Korea Forest Service. In addition, the military will provide water-dropping training for helicopter pilots during peacetime, while the Korea Forest Service will support these efforts by dispatching expert instructors to enhance the effectiveness of the training.
In particular, the two agencies have decided to actively pursue a pilot project for an aerial firefighting system (MAFFS) by equipping Air Force transport aircraft (C-130J) with water tanks for wildfire suppression. They will also utilize military intelligence assets to provide information on wildfire lines at night during extreme weather conditions.
Lee Gapsoo, Director of Logistics Management at the Ministry of National Defense, stated, "We recognize wildfires as a disaster security situation and will do our utmost to protect the lives and property of the people in the event of a disaster." He added, "The Ministry of National Defense will continue to prioritize public safety and work together to strengthen and improve the government's disaster response capabilities." Lee Yongkwon, Director of Forest Disaster Control at the Korea Forest Service, said, "This is the result of proactive collaboration between the two agencies to utilize military security assets for wildfire suppression and monitoring to strengthen the response to large-scale wildfires. It serves as a model case for integrated management and mutual support at the pan-government level."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense and the Korea Forest Service plan to continue their cooperation by participating in the "Pan-Government Wildfire Suppression Resource Management Council," which is being jointly prepared by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Forest Service to strengthen the government's wildfire response capabilities. In addition, both agencies will mutually support each other's capabilities and resources not only for wildfires but also to protect the safety and lives of citizens and service members from landslides and other disasters.
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