Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Military to rapidly introduce weapons system based on high technologies

Defense ministry issues partial revision of ｢directive on defense forces development work｣

On Friday, March 18, the Ministry of National Defense revised the 「directive on defense forces development work｣, with the aim of making it a principle to carry out the rapid pilot acquisition project* in the weapons system where advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned technologies, are used so that the military can introduce these rapidly developing advanced technologies, and applying an evolutionary acquisition method.

When the rapid pilot acquisition project is applied to a weapons system in the area of advanced technology, the military can decide whether to introduce it by rapidly using products where advanced technologies from the private sector, such as AI and big data, are applied within one to three years.

The ministry also provided conditions that will allow it to keep reflecting the development trend of advanced technologies in the private sector to the process of introduction, and gradually upgrade its peformance, by shifting to an evolutionary acquisition method, in which the overall requirements are introduced in phases, even in an official acquisition, after confirming the need for their introduction.