South Korea Plans to Train Entire Military as Drone Operators
South Korea's defense ministry announced plans to train all nearly half a million soldiers to operate drones as a universal combat tool, inspired by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Plan Objective and Context
South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back announced on June 26 that the military aims to make drones a "second personal weapon" for every soldier. This is part of a broader strategy to maintain technological superiority in the 70-year border standoff with North Korea, whose military is significantly larger (over 1.2 million active troops).
The minister cited the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as inspiration for reforms focusing on drone technology. Beyond training, plans include equipping units with cheap, expendable drones for reconnaissance and strikes, as well as deploying counter-drone lasers and microwave weapons. South Korea's former drone operations command will be reorganized to collaborate with local industry on developing and procuring commercial drone technology.
Challenges and Constraints
The plan faces several hurdles. South Korea's mandatory military service excludes women, and the declining birth rate makes it difficult to maintain a force of 500,000 troops. The ministry said it will start with 11,000 training drones this year, aiming for 60,000 drones across the military by 2029.
Another challenge is the requirement to procure drones with 100% domestic components and no Chinese parts due to security concerns. China dominates the global commercial drone market (e.g., DJI) and is North Korea's main economic and security partner. While South Korean companies are building military attack drones, finding enough commercial drones without Chinese components for training may be difficult, noted Min-Cheol Jung, a South Korea-based counter-drone expert.
Personnel shortages, especially among noncommissioned officers and instructors, could also impede training.
Ukraine's Example and Regional Context
Unlike South Korea's plan, Ukraine does not train all soldiers as drone pilots but has specialized operator teams, an Unmanned Systems Forces branch, a digital battle management system, and a domestic drone industry producing millions of units annually. North Korean soldiers who survived Ukrainian drone attacks while fighting for Russia have returned home to train North Korean forces.
Currently, 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the Korean War. The US military is also integrating drone training and counter-drone measures into basic training, and the Pentagon requested $54 billion for new drone and counter-drone systems in its fiscal year 2027 budget.
