Minister Ahn Gyu-baek of the Ministry of National Defense said at the 2025 defense artificial intelligence (AI) implementation review meeting on the 18th that to respond to the challenge of declining conscription resources, the restructuring of units, personnel, and force structure must be linked, and in that process, AI is no longer a choice but an essential force element.
The AI implementation review meeting was arranged under the supervision of the Minister. At the meeting, the Minister said, "Now is the golden time for the development of defense AI," adding, "We will operationalize AI-based capabilities and spread the results inside and outside the military so that our military can leap forward as a 'smart, cutting-edge, strong force,' and we will concentrate our capabilities to that end."
The Ministry of National Defense plans to use AI technology to increase administrative efficiency in the short term and, in the mid to long term, to build an "AI policy aide" that supports the Minister's policy decisions and an "AI combat aide" that supports commanders' decisions on the battlefield.
About 30 people, including the Chairperson of the defense and security subcommittee of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee and deputy chiefs of staff from each service, attended the meeting. At the meeting, participants reviewed the progress of defense AI policy and sought future directions for development. They also shared policy directions for defense AX (AI transformation).