▲ Meeting of former Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs of staff
Forty-six former chiefs of staff from the Army, Navy, and Air Force announced their position, stating, "We strongly urge the government to reconsider the push to integrate the three service military academies."
In a joint statement, they said, "Even now, the government should not pursue the physical integration of the military academies, but rather come up with fundamental development plans that enhance the pride and honor of junior officers and attract talented individuals to the military."
The group of former chiefs argued, "The government's logic for integration is contradictory in itself. Jointness is not achieved simply by educating together in the same location, and integration will not save budget costs but instead require astronomical expenses."
They added, "The government's push for integration is proceeding without national consensus. Pushing ahead without reflecting the opinions of experts and public sentiment can never be justified."
They also claimed, "Generalizing the political intervention of certain military personnel from a specific academy as a problem of the academy as a whole, and presenting academy integration as a preventive measure, is a misdiagnosis and a wrong prescription. This deepens concerns that the academy integration is being pursued for political reasons."
This is interpreted as a criticism of President Lee Jae-myung's remarks the previous day (August 5) during a briefing by the Ministry of National Defense, where he encouraged the push for academy integration by asking, "Wouldn't integrating them somewhat reduce such possibilities [of a coup]?"
According to attendees, 26 former chiefs of staff met in person at the Air Force Hotel in Seoul to consolidate this stance, and ultimately 46 former chiefs joined, including those who expressed their intention to sign the joint statement.
The signatories include 18 from the Army, 13 from the Navy, and 15 from the Air Force. Notable figures include former Minister of National Defense Han Min-koo (Army), former Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo (Air Force), and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Won In-chul (Air Force).
Kang Dong-gil, a former Chief of Naval Operations who was appointed under the Lee Jae-myung administration but resigned over allegations of involvement in martial law, also signed the joint statement.
This is known to be the first time that former chiefs of staff from all three services have issued a joint statement regarding a specific government policy.
The integration of the military academies is one of President Lee's presidential campaign pledges and national policy tasks. Last month, the Ministry of National Defense announced a basic plan for the establishment of the Armed Forces Military Academy, which centers on creating a four-year integrated academy in Jaundae, Daejeon, combining the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies.
The Ministry of National Defense plans to hold a public hearing on the establishment of the Armed Forces Military Academy on August 26 to gather opinions from various sectors, and establish and announce detailed plans around October.
(Photo provided by attendees, Yonhap News)
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