South Korea

Military

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The unresolved tension with North Korea have prompted South Korea to allocate 2.6% of its GDP and 15% of all government spending to its military (Government share of GDP: 14.967%), while maintaining compulsory conscription for men. Consequently, South Korea has the world's sixth largest number of (650,000 in 2011), the world's second-largest number of (3,200,000 in 2011) and the eleventh largest . The Republic of Korea, with both regular and reserve military force numbering 3.7 million regular personnel among a total national population of 50 million people, has the second highest number of soldiers per capita in the world, after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The South Korean military consists of the (ROKA), the (ROKN), the (ROKAF), and the (ROKMC), and reserve forces. Many of these forces are concentrated near the . All South Korean males are constitutionally required to serve in the military, typically 21 months. Previously, Koreans of mixed race were exempt from military duty but no exception from 2011.

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In addition to male conscription in South Korea's sovereign military, 1,800 Korean males are selected every year to serve 21 months in the Program to further augment the (USFK). In 2010, South Korea was spending 1.68 trillion in a cost-sharing agreement with the US to provide budgetary support to the US forces in Korea, on top of the ₩29.6 trillion budget for its own military.

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The has 2,500 in operation, including the and , which form the backbone of the South Korean army's mechanized armor and infantry forces. A sizable arsenal of many artillery systems, including 1,700 self-propelled and and 680 helicopters and of numerous types, are assembled to provide additional fire, reconnaissance, and logistics support. South Korea's smaller but more advanced artillery force and wide range of airborne reconnaissance platforms are pivotal in the of North Korea's large artillery force, which operates more than 13,000 artillery systems deployed in various state of fortification and mobility.

The has made its first major transformation into a through the formation of the Strategic Mobile Fleet, which includes a battle group of , , , and , which is equipped with the latest baseline of system that allows the ships to track and destroy multiple cruise missiles and ballistic missiles simultaneously, forming an integral part of South Korea's indigenous missile defense umbrella against the North Korean military's missile threat.

The South Korean air force operates 840 aircraft, making it world's ninth largest air force, including several types of advanced fighters like , heavily modified , and the indigenous , supported by well-maintained fleets of older fighters such as and that still effectively serve the air force alongside the more modern aircraft. In an attempt to gain strength in terms of not just numbers but also modernity, the commissioning of four aircraft, under Project Peace Eye for on a modern battlefield, will enhance the fighters' and other support aircraft's ability to perform their missions with awareness and precision.

In May 2011, Ltd., South Korea's largest plane maker, signed a $400 million deal to sell 16 T-50 Golden Eagle trainer jets to , making South Korea the first country in Asia to export supersonic jets.

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From time to time, South Korea has sent its troops overseas to assist American forces. It has participated in most major conflicts that the United States has been involved in the past 50 years. South Korea dispatched 325,517 troops to fight alongside American, Australian, , New Zealand and soldiers in the , with a peak strength of 50,000. In 2004, South Korea sent 3,300 troops of the to help re-building in northern , and was the third largest contributor in the after only the US and Britain. Beginning in 2001, South Korea had so far deployed 24,000 troops in the Middle East region to support the . A further 1,800 were deployed since 2007 to reinforce UN peacekeeping forces in .

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The United States has stationed a substantial contingent of troops in South Korea since the to defend South Korea in case of East Asian military crises. There are approximately 28,500 U.S. Military personnel stationed in Korea, most of them serving one year unaccompanied tours. The American troops, which are primarily ground and air units, are assigned to and mainly assigned to the of the and of the . They are stationed in installations at , , Yongsan, , Sungbuk, , and , as well as at in the DMZ . A still functioning is technically the top of the of all forces in South Korea, including the US forces and the entire South Korean military – if a sudden escalation of war between North and South Korea were to occur the United States would assume control of the South Korean armed forces in all military and paramilitary moves. However, in September 2006, the Presidents of the United States and the Republic of Korea agreed that South Korea should assume the lead for its own defense. In early 2007, the U.S. Secretary of Defense and ROK Minister of National Defense determined that South Korea will assume wartime operational control of its forces on December 1, 2015. USFK will transform into a new joint-warfighting command, provisionally described as Korea Command (KORCOM).