The Ministry of National Defense is introducing a large number of commercial drones for educational use and strengthening drone training for soldiers to cultivate '500,000 drone warriors.'
Minister Ahn Gyu-baek attended the designation ceremony for the 'small drone and counter-drone demonstration unit' at the Army's 36th Division in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on 4th morning, where he revealed this plan. The core of this plan is to introduce a significant number of domestically produced commercial drones for educational use into the military and create an environment where all soldiers can easily accumulate drone piloting qualifications and practical experience after enlistment.
On that day, the Ministry of National Defense designated the Army's 36th Division as a demonstration unit to accelerate the cultivation of 500,000 drone warriors. It was decided that the division would verify the potential use of civilian drone equipment in an environment similar to combat situations. Furthermore, the 36th Division aims to accumulate experiences for soldiers in operating the latest drones and developing drone-related tactics and doctrines.
A total budget of 20.5 billion won was allocated for this plan. Initially, 19 billion won will be spent to introduce over 11,000 low-cost, disposable training commercial drones, distributing at least one drone per squad to all active-duty Army units and training institutions. An additional 1.4 billion won will be used to train specialized drone instructors. Moreover, there are plans to enhance drone education infrastructure by utilizing surplus facilities on military bases.
Minister Ahn said, 'Through the new challenge of cultivating 500,000 drone warriors, I will serve as a catalyst to ensure that this is not just a transformation of the military but a new growth engine for the domestic industry and the future of the nation.' He added, 'The military and related departments will work closely together to ensure that each soldier can thrive in the industry after being discharged.'