Home > Opinion > Columns

Korea needs faster and smarter defense AI systems

Published: 17 Nov. 2025, 00:04

Lim Jong-in

The author is an honorary professor at the Graduate School of Information Security at Korea University and a former special adviser to the president on cybersecurity.

The nature of warfare is undergoing a fundamental shift. Tanks, fighter jets and missiles once defined combat power. Today, algorithms are emerging as the decisive factor. AI now interprets battlefield conditions in real time, makes judgments and responds faster than humans. In this new environment, the key advantage is securing “decision dominance,” the ability to sense, decide and act faster than an adversary. In short, building faster and smarter AI systems has become central to national defense and to success on future battlefields.

Autonomous Robotic Dogs walk in the 250th birthday parade on June 14 in Washington. The U.S. Army is marking its 250th birthday with a military parade including roughly 6,600 troops, 150 vehicles and over 50 aircraft. The parade, which coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, is designed to tell the history of the Army. [AFP/YONHAP]

Major countries have already entered a rapid arms race to integrate AI into defense systems. The United States is building a kill-web architecture in which AI synthesizes battlefield data, analyzes threats and determines optimal responses in real time. Autonomous weapons act as hands and feet, and space-based assets, including clusters of small satellites, function as eyes and neural networks. By sharply reducing the time between detection, decision and strike, the kill-web is becoming a game changer in future warfare.

Speed is the defining feature of this competition. Korea must adopt defense AI technologies quickly if it wants to avoid falling behind. A starting point should be integrating dispersed military data centers into a unified cloud-based defense AI center and accelerating the introduction of AI across all branches of the military.

Existing acquisition systems, built around hardware procurement, cannot keep pace with rapid AI development. Korea needs fast-track acquisition procedures. It would be counterproductive to insist on a strictly military-led or domestic-only approach that slows deployment. In the short term, Korea should adopt proven foreign platforms. Over the medium and long term, it can gradually localize key modules through partnerships with domestic firms. But such imports must come with thorough safeguards to protect data sovereignty, intellectual property and prevent vendor lock-in.

Security, however, must be considered as seriously as speed. Recent disruptions at the National Information Resources Service, caused by a fire, illustrate how a single shock can disable critical systems. If defense AI infrastructure were attacked, the military’s brain, eyes and limbs could be paralyzed before a conflict even begins. Cyberattacks that exploit weaknesses in AI models could corrupt decisions or cause unintended damage. In the age of algorithmic warfare, defense AI systems and data centers must be treated as primary targets and protected with resilient cybersecurity and recovery frameworks.

Developing a skilled work force is equally important. More GPUs do not automatically translate into more capable defense AI. Without trained specialists who understand both AI technologies and military operations, even the most advanced infrastructure cannot function effectively. Given the rapid evolution and limited life span of GPU technologies, hardware that cannot be deployed efficiently becomes wasteful. The military should establish education programs for AI specialists, create exchange pathways with the private sector and form a dedicated AI corps.

People try the Palantir Maven Smart System during the Defence Security Equipment International Japan at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan May 21. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Ensuring responsible governance over defense AI is another essential task. Improperly controlled military AI could heighten concerns among the public and allies. Korea must establish operational guidelines, maintain safeguards that guarantee human judgment and intervention, and create an independent review body to oversee defense AI applications.

To build competitive defense AI capabilities, the country cannot afford gaps in any area. Korea must advance model development, expand an integrated AI data center, implement fast-track procurement, adopt and localize foreign platforms through phased strategies, train and secure operational and cybersecurity specialists and create a clear framework for oversight. These efforts must proceed simultaneously and with urgency.

Only through swift but balanced progress can Korea position its defense AI capabilities as a defining pillar of K-defense and prepare for a battlefield where algorithms, not arms alone, determine who prevails.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.