Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Key Commanders Met on Disaster Safety Readiness in All Military Branches

Minister Shin Said, "Operate Countermeasure Headquarters in Each Unit"

Strengthening On-Site Commander-Led Safety Activities

Prioritizing Troop Safety While Providing Disaster Relief Support to Civilians

On May 24th, the Ministry of National Defense convened the meeting of key commanders, presided over by Minister Shin, to review the military's readiness for various anticipated summer disasters such as floods, typhoons, and heat waves.

During the meeting, Minister Shin said, "Ensuring troop safety is paramount for the military to demonstrate its combat capabilities," and added, "Each unit must focus its capabilities on summer disaster preparedness from the perspective of enhancing combat readiness and operate a disaster countermeasures headquarters proactively to strengthen preemptive measures in each area."

He also urged the commanders to dedicate their attention to establishing specific preparedness measures such as inspecting vulnerable areas in anticipation of heavy rains, implementing heat injury prevention, and managing hygiene in preparation for heat waves.

In addition, he emphasized that active support to protect the lives and property of the people must be provided to civilians in national-level disaster situations within the scope of not disrupting unit missions while prioritizing troop safety by having on-site commanders directly identify risk factors and prepare safety countermeasures in advance.

Around 100 people participated in the meeting, including key officials from the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chiefs of Staff of service branches, and commanders of direct units under the Ministry of National Defense. In particular, they agreed to concentrate each unit's disaster safety preparedness capabilities on achieving "Zero Casualties and Minimize Property Damages."

For this purpose, the focus areas for disaster preparedness include:

△ Preemptively escalating disaster alert levels upon the issuance of weather advisories;

△ Concentrating unit capabilities on disaster preparedness from the perspective of "enhancing combat readiness";

△ Re-inspecting the dispatch readiness of each unit, including disaster rapid response units, search and rescue units, etc.; and

△ Actively supporting civilians under the responsibility of on-site commanders while ensuring 100% troop safety.

Furthermore, to uphold an effective emergency preparedness system during the response period, emphasis was placed on:

- Monitoring weather forecasts and the timely dissemination of status updates;

- Maintaining a 24-hour emergency preparedness system; and

- Ensuring quick status reports in case of damages and fostering close cooperation among civilians, government, and the military.

Additionally, meeting participants shared best practices by presenting the follow-up results of inspections of disaster-prone areas conducted by each unit after heavy rains during the Children's Day holiday, progress on disaster prevention construction projects, the procurement of supplies for heat wave preparedness, etc.

Director General for Logistics Management Lee Gab Soo at the Ministry of National Defense said, "By achieving zero casualties and minimizing property damage, we will uphold the highest combat readiness posture and do our utmost to safeguard the lives and property of the people in the event of a national-level disaster."

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Air Force Weather Wing's summer weather outlook for 2024, temperatures are projected to be 1 - 2 ℃ higher than average, with precipitation forecasted at 400 - 450 mm, surpassing the average of 350 - 400 mm. In addition, stronger typhoons are anticipated due to elevated sea surface temperatures in areas where typhoons form.

By Hyun-woo, Seo <lgiant61@dema.mi.kr>

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