South Korea Plans a Drone-Ready Army: Every Soldier as a Drone Operator

South Korea aims to train its roughly 500,000-strong military to operate drones as a universal combat tool, starting with 11,000 training drones this year and targeting 60,000 drones by 2029, while pursuing 100% domestically produced components and reorganizing a drone command to work with industry. The plan faces hurdles like a shrinking conscript pool and women’s exclusion, plus the challenge of sourcing non-Chinese drones, but it follows Ukraine’s drone-centric approach and expands counter-drone capabilities.