The Ministry of National Defense unveiled its revised training program for this year on Feb. 24 aimed at fostering combat-oriented reserve forces.
In particular, the ministry is planning to create some 30,000 reserve snipers.
"During past few years, the military has been running a program to develop reserve snipers in some reserve forces unit," said a defense official in the ministry. "But we decided to operate the plan in all reserve forces units in the country to make preparations for North Korea's special operations capabilities reinforcement and future street battles."
The official added that the military is going to foster two reserve snipers in each platoon.
Would-be snipers will receive training concentrating on rifle shooting and have telescope sight installed on their rifles if budget is secured, said the official.
In addition, this year's first reserve forces training program scheduled for Mar. 2 will be run in combat-oriented style.
So far reservists in their fifth and sixth year of reserve training since their discharge from active-duty service have taken training programs for three days by commuting from home to assigned units. As a test case, however, five army divisions will be running overnight training program.
In line with a new reserve force training plan, two reserve battalions will join in the ROK-U.S. annual joint military exercises Key Resolve/Foal Eagle and the Ulchi Freedom Guardian, according to the new plan.
Also local reserves training is going to be operated aimed at strengthening actual warfare capabilities to support the new plan. Trainees will be trained using tools for survival games and get training programs in many different fields.
The new reserve training plan said that in order to strengthen morale training, military or security experts will give one-hour lectures related to improving awareness of security enemies.
RoK MoD
