Review of Establishing a Unified 4-Year Armed Forces Academy for the Army, Navy, and Air Force

The Ministry of National Defense is closely reviewing a plan to establish a fouryear Armed Forces Academy in Jawaundae, Daejeon, by integrating the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies. According to a report by Kyunghyang Shinmun, the Ministry of National Defense is highly likely to explain its basic plan for integrating the academies at a partygovernment consultation meeting with the Democratic Party of Korea on the 16th. Initially, the '2+2 system' was discussed, in which first and secondyear students would receive integrated education and third and fourthyear students would move to the academies of each branch, but recently, more weight has been given to a plan in which all four years are taught at one school. The Ministry of National Defense is reviewing this plan to strengthen joint operations, and it is also said to be envisioning a comprehensive universitystyle system in the long term that would include the Armed Forces Nursing Academy and the Defense Advanced Technology Academy. However, reserve officers who graduated from the academies are strongly opposing it, saying that tradition and expertise could be damaged.