Army, Navy and Air Force academy alumni associations slam unified military academy plan, demand review

The alumni associations of the Army, Navy and Air Force academies have pushed back sharply against the government's "Basic Plan for Establishing a Unified Korea Armed Forces Academy," calling it an incoherent defense blunder and urging a full review.

In a joint statement issued Thursday, the three associations said the plan "is, in a word, a chaotic and contradictory scheme that makes no sense," and asked "for whom, exactly, is this policy being pursued."

The groups argued that the government's goals could be achieved through large-scale facility investment, organizational restructuring and institutional reform while keeping each service's academy intact. Consolidating the Korea Military Academy, the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy, they said, amounted to a deliberate attempt to sever the distinct identity, history and tradition of each branch.

They also questioned the government's stated rationale of strengthening "jointness" among the services.

"In an era of cutting-edge science and technology, are we really saying cadets must be educated in one place to instill the armed forces' identity?" the associations said. "And to do that, they plan to create a brand-new Advanced Education Policy Bureau. It gets more absurd by the day."

They added that "it is the common view among many experts that national security policy must not be approached through the economic logic of economies of scale or efficiency," and warned that "the security environment on and around the Korean Peninsula is too urgent to justify dismantling an existing framework entirely and spending astronomical sums on an unverified, experimental defense policy."

The associations also strongly opposed the planned relocation of the Korea Military Academy. "Moving the KMA from Hwarang-dae in Taereung — the birthplace and spiritual root of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces — to a provincial location is a textbook act of political retaliation driven by political calculation, and it is utterly unacceptable," they said.

On the Naval Academy's relocation, they asked: "How can we tell future naval officers to pursue a blue-water navy and reach out to the seas and the world when we are moving them to a place with no connection to the ocean whatsoever?"

They were equally critical of the Air Force Academy's planned move, saying: "How can we inspire cadets to dream of soaring into space when we are cramming them into a dense location where they can barely see the sky, let alone an aircraft runway?"

The associations said the plan "shows a shortsighted view that looks only at physical proximity while ignoring the identity, expertise and unique military culture each academy has built up over many years."

The associations also cited polling data in calling for the plan to be scrapped.

A recent survey found that 75.4 percent of respondents opposed the consolidation and relocation, they said. A separate survey of hagwon applicants found about 30 percent said they would give up applying to a military academy if the unified institution went ahead.

The associations warned they would escalate their response. "We have no choice but to fight in solidarity with security organizations, civil society, active-duty and reserve personnel, and parents," they said, adding that they would "mobilize all means and methods to rise up together with the people."