It has been confirmed that the US military authorities analyzed that it would take three to five years for South Korea to respond to North Korea’s drone invasion. The drone operation command is scheduled to be established in the second half of the year at the order of President Yoon Seok-yeol, but it is difficult to fill the air defense network holes caused by North Korean drones for the next several years.
The Washington Post (WP) obtained classified US government documents leaked on social media on the 10th (local time) and said, “US military officials believe that South Korea is establishing a drone operation command to fully implement the plan, such as acquiring necessary technology and weapons. It was estimated that it would take three to five years.” The document also included an analysis that “it is highly likely that the South Korean military will find it difficult to establish a consistent and coordinated response to North Korean drone incursions for at least the next six months.” The document was produced in early March of this year and is part of a document reported by the US military command, such as the defense minister and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the WP reported.
The North Korean drone roamed the airspace for more than five hours, including approaching the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul last December, but the military authorities dispatched Cobra attack helicopters and fired more than 100 shots, but failed to shoot it down. Accordingly, it was decided to establish a drone operation command, a unit dedicated to North Korean drones, but the US military authorities analyzed that South Korea would have no choice but to be exposed defenseless for at least six months.
The document cited slow communication between the ground radar and the aircraft that flew in response as the reason for the military’s failure to properly respond to North Korean drones in December of last year. In 2014, after a North Korean drone flew over the Blue House, a new radar was introduced, but it did not have much effect, such as delays in communication with the helicopter that actually shot down the drone. It also pointed out that the South Korean military does not have clear rules of engagement against North Korean drones and that there are holes in the air defense network that North Korea can exploit. The WP evaluated, “The document focused on the vulnerability of South Korea’s air defense network as North Korea’s aggressive nuclear weapons development threatens South Korea and the United States.”
The U.S. military authorities also pointed out that the competition to defend the airspace is putting tremendous pressure on the frontline units of the South Korean military. The document said, “The frontline units are operating on high alert, and (awareness) of having to address failures (responding to drone invasions) gives a high level of stress and fatigue.” WP reported that they warned of ‘physical and mental exhaustion due to extreme fatigue)’.
There are also concerns that North Korea, which opposes the Washington Declaration, which includes the establishment of the ROK-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) to strengthen extended deterrence, could target loopholes in its air defense network through drone provocations. “South Korea has been preoccupied with North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles,” said Ellen Kim, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Meanwhile, Charles Flynn, commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, said at a press conference that day that information sharing between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan on North Korean missiles would be done through the U.S. Forces Korea. Commander Flynn said, “The USFK base is where information sharing and joint command posts are being operated in the Indo-Pacific region. USFK is already building a mature information sharing network.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.