“Seeking Solutions to Defense Challenges through the Collective Wisdom of the Civilian, Government, and Military Sectors”

Minister Ahn Gyu-back chairs the comprehensive reporting session of the Joint Advisory Committee.

Expresses gratitude for the 110-day efforts of the committee's five subcommittees.

The committee chair underscores the initiative as a starting point for restoring public trust and building an advanced military.

Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back delivers opening remarks at the Comprehensive Report Session of the Civilian-Government-Military Joint Special Advisory Committee for Overcoming Internal Crisis and Designing Future National Defense on Jan. 22 at the MND Convention in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

The Civilian-Government-Military Joint Special Advisory Committee for Overcoming Internal Crisis and Designing Future Defense (Joint Committee), which discussed core reform issues for our military and proposed policy measures to the Minister of National Defense, officially concluded its activities on January 22.

The Joint Committee presented policy proposals, including the establishment of a Joint Operations Command, the codification of the right to refuse unlawful orders, the disbandment of the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC), and the prevention of suicide incidents through the enhancement of service members' resilience. The Ministry of National Defense plans to review the outcomes of the Joint Committee's activities and reflect them in the Defense Reform initiatives and the implementation of national agenda tasks of the People's Sovereignty Government.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back presided over the Joint Committee Comprehensive Report Session held today at the MND Convention in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The Comprehensive Report Session served as an opportunity to finalize the Joint Committee's activities, attended by 37 advisory members representing five subcommittees covering future strategy, establishing constitutional values, redesigning military counterintelligence and security, measures for fatal incidents within the military, and educational reform for military academies.

Minister Ahn first expressed his gratitude to the advisory members who contributed their collective wisdom. He assessed, "The Joint Committee provided a meaningful period during which our national defense confronted the crises and challenges head-on, allowing civilian, government, and military sectors to pool their wisdom and jointly seek solutions."

The Joint Committee, an advisory body directly under the Minister, was established on September 30 in 2025 under Minister Ahn's directive, aiming to collect expert opinions on key defense issues, advance national agenda tasks, and reflect them in defense policy. The committee is chaired by Hong Hyun-ik, former Chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. Chairman Hong previously served as the head of the Foreign Affairs and Security Subcommittee of the Presidential Committee on State Planning under the Lee Jae-myung Administration.

Chairman Hong expressed his satisfaction, stating, "I am pleased that the intensive discussions within the Joint Committee have borne fruit." He added, "We anticipate that the outcomes derived from the Committee's deliberations will serve as the foundation for our military to regain the public trust and advance toward becoming a future advanced strong military force."

The Joint Committee engaged in activities over 110 days, including dozens of meetings and onsite visits to frontline units. The subcommittees visited the general outpost (GOP) units of the ROK Army 12th Infantry Division to discuss improvements and countermeasures for the internal military accident prevention system. They also visited the ROK Army, Navy, and Air Force Academies, along with the ROK Army Third Military Academy, to gather feedback from the field. In demonstration units currently applying the AI-based manned and unmanned integrated surveillance operations system, opinions were solicited from assigned personnel. A special seminar was also convened on the topic of Measures for Establishing Constitutional Values Pertaining to National Defense. Based on these efforts, the respective subcommittees consecutively reported their findings this month and presented comprehensive recommendations to Minister Ahn.

The Counterintelligence and Security Redesign Subcommittee proposed the developmental dismantlement of the DCC, centered on transferring or abolishing the functions of security investigation, counterintelligence information, security auditing, and trend surveying previously held by the Command. The Future Strategy Subcommittee put forth a plan for establishing a Joint Operations Command aimed at unifying the command structure and enhancing the completeness of operational command during both wartime and peacetime, in preparation for the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON). The Constitutional Values Establishment Subcommittee mandated that the right to refuse illegal orders be stipulated in law and that the authority of the martial law commander be restricted. The Military Fatal Accidents Subcommittee recommended transitioning the paradigm of the suicide prevention system approach toward strengthening the resilience of service members.

By Byeong-No, Yun <[email protected] >

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