The Air Force will reorganize its hitherto geographically arranged command structure into a function-based one to enhance efficiency in peacetime and wartime aerial operations, officials said Tuesday.
The plan was endorsed at the Cabinet meeting, which was presided over by President Park Geun-hye.
Under the plan, the Air Force Operations Command will have two major subordinate units — the Air Combat Command and the Air Mobility & Reconnaissance Command, whose roles are divided by combat role, rather than geographical location.
Currently, the Air Force Operations Command has geographically arranged units such as the Southern and Northern Combat Commands.
The Air Combat Command, which is expected to be stationed in Daegu, will be in charge of running fighter jets, officials said. The Air Mobility and Reconnaissance Command, which is likely to be located in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, will be in charge of operating transport, reconnaissance and trainer aircraft.
The need for an overhaul of the command structure has been raised for some time with officials and experts arguing that in the small operational zone of the Korean Peninsula, dividing the command structure according to region was not suitable for optimal aerial operations.
In an emergency, F-15K fighters, based in Daegu, and KF-16s, based in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, are to be mobilized for the same mission, which means the function-based command structure would better cope with aerial threats than specific commands for different regions.
The change in the command structure has been caused mainly by Seoul’s recent and future procurement of a series of advanced Air Force assets, including airborne command and control aircraft, which have increased operational mobility and flexibility, and decreased the need to divide operational areas according to region.
The South Korean military plans to introduce refueling tankers, high-altitude and low-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and stealth fighter jets, which will increase the need for a function-based command structure.
By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)
