South Korea plans to launch an Army command Friday in a bid to facilitate the mobilization of reserve forces for the forces' founding anniversary.
The move is part of efforts to make the country's 625,000-strong troops as agile and strong as possible.
The number of active duty soldiers will decrease to half a million by 2022 under the Moon Jae-in administration defense reform scheme.
"(We) should further bolster the combat power of reserve forces to minimize the combat power vacuum from the reduction in the number of standing forces," Defense Minister Song Young-moo said in a transcript of his speech for the unit formation ceremony.
(Yonhap)
It will be held at the headquarters of the Third Republic of Korea (ROK) Army in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The Republic of Korea is the official name of South Korea.
He said the new command will play a role in getting reservists fully ready for action anytime.
It's aimed at streamlining the process of training and managing 3.1 million reserve forces in the South, which are currently controlled by Army corps or divisions nationwide and overseen by the Ministry of National Defense.
A two-star general will command the unit, named the Mobilization Force Command.
Meanwhile, South Korea's reserve forces turned 50 on Friday.
The defense minister emphasized the importance of "maximizing" their combat power through the modernization of training systems, facilities and equipment. (Yonhap)
