Civilian may be allowed to be head of academy

The Ministry of National Defense is pushing to revise a law to allow civilian experts or retired officers to be named superintendents at military academies, as part of its efforts to reform the military, officials said yesterday.

By law, civilians or retired officers have been barred from being appointed as superintendents of the three major military institutions for undergraduate education and training of commissioned officers.

Three-star generals on active duty have traditionally taken the top jobs at the academies.

“With the revision of the law, the ministry will allow civilians or retired generals to serve as superintendent of a military academy,” a ministry official said.

The proposed revision was endorsed by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin at a meeting of top military brass on Monday, the official said on the condition of anonymity.

The ministry wants the revision of the law to be passed by the National Assembly by June, the official said.

Meanwhile, the ministry also finally drew up a plan to revamp the top command structure at the Monday meeting, but didn’t clarify a deadline on when it would complete the changes, according to the official.

Under the changes, the military plans to create a new top commander to coordinate operations of its armed forces to enhance the interoperability among the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The changes are among the 73-point military reform measures unveiled by the ministry in March in response to increasing North Korean hostilities.

The measures call for an early introduction of spy drones and stealth fighters, and a 15 percent cut in the number of general-grade officers. The intention is to make the command structure of South Korea’s 650,000-member military slimmer but also more efficient.

Yonhap

한글 관련 기사 [연합]

軍 사관학교장에 민간인ㆍ예비역 임명 가능
국방부, '사관학교설치법' 개정키로

국방부는 26일 육ㆍ해ㆍ공군사관학교장에 민간인과 예비역 장성을 임명하도록 법령 개정을 추진 중이라고 밝혔다.

국방부 관계자는 이날 "사관학교장에 현역 장성을 임명한다는 '사관학교설치법' 조항을 개정해 민간인과 예비역 장성을 임명할 수 있도록 할 계획"이라고 밝혔다.

그는 "25일 김관진 국방장관 주재로 열린 군무회의에서 이런 내용의 사관학교설치법 개정을 의결했으며 각군 참모총장들의 이견은 없었다"면서 "다음 달 말 국회에 상정해 6월까지 본회의 통과를 목표로 하고 있다"고 말했다.

사관학교장에 민간인과 예비역을 임명하는 방안은 지난 2008년 대통령직 인수위원회에서부터 논의됐다.

한편 군무회의에서는 상부지휘구조 개선을 뼈대로 하는 '국방개혁에 관한 법률' 개정안도 의결했으나 부칙에 개편 완료시기는 명시하지 않은 것으로 알려졌다.

군 관계자는 "상부지휘구조 개편은 2012년 말까지 완료하기로 했다"면서 "다만, 개정안 부칙에 완료 시기를 명시할지를 놓고 이견이 있으며 아직 확정되지 않았다"고 말했다.