Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The Defense Ministry holds the First Defense Science and Technology Coordination Council for 2023

- Discussed Action Plan for An AI-based Manned-Unmanned Teaming Establishment and explored methods to enhance the structuring and modularization of unmanned systems

The Ministry of National Defense held the First Defense Science and Technology Coordination Council* (the Council) for 2023, organized by Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul. The meeting was attended by key officials and experts from related agencies, including the Defense Ministry, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all branches of the military and the Marine Corps Headquarters, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, the Agency for Defense Development, the Korea Research Institute for defense Technology planning and advancement, and the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality.

* The Defense Science and Technology Coordination Council is a consultative body led by the Vice Defense Minister. Established in 2022, it merges the former Defense AI Development Council and Defense Unmanned System Development Council to efficiently discuss the rapid application of advanced science and technology, such as Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, within the military.

The council today discussed Action Plan for An AI-based Manned-Unmanned Teaming Establishment and explored methods to enhance the structuring and modularization of unmanned systems.

The Action Plan for An AI-based Manned-Unmanned Teaming Establishment is a document that outlines a detailed action plan and implementation plan for transitioning from a troop-oriented manned system to an AI-based manned-unmanned teaming system. It addresses five key initiatives: (1) establishing a warfighting concept; (2) developing critical technologies; (3) securing AI learning data; (4) building a network environment; and (5) developing operation and management systems.

This council meeting convened representatives from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all branches of the military, the Marine Corps Headquarters, and related agencies to gather opinions and discuss the future direction of work.