Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Ministry of National Defense holds ｢National Defense AI and Unmanned System Development Council｣

 - At Council, participants reported on progress and discussed future directions -

On September 29, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) held the ｢National Defense AI and Unmanned System Development Council｣, presided over by Vice Minister of Defense Park Jae-min, at the ministry’s main building.

This council was held to establish a defense AI and unmanned system development strategy through cooperation between government ministries and the private sector, including the development of a future defense AI policy, the development of a defense drone policy as well as discovery of needs and industrialization, and the creation of a growth ecosystem by taking the lead in the sustainable private drone industry.

 
The council was attended by representatives from government ministries that included the MND, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as well as a number of military research institutes and private associations*.

A key fourth industrial revolution technology that is driving innovation across the country, AI will serve as an alternative for reduction in forces and a ‘game-changer’ in the battlefields of the future.

The government has been concentrating investment on DNA (Data·Network·AI) after unveiling the ‘National AI strategy and digital New Deal policy,’ as the adoption of AI in all areas of industries creates innovations, including increases in productivity and improvements in efficiency.

AI has also come to the fore as an alternative for combatants on the battlefield, and a game-changer in the area of defense. The world’s major countries are concentrating their capabilities on automated weapon systems, with the aim of holding the lead on the battlefields of the future.

In this regard, a spokesperson for the ministry announced a plan to hold the tentatively named DnA (Defense & AI) forum*, which will facilitate the substantialization of the defense AI promotion strategies, including discovery of needs and industrialization to augment AI-employed military strength and increase the efficiency of defense administration, and will help experts in each field contribute to the development of defense AI, with the aim of accelerating military innovations.