Korea Holds Unprecedented Joint Commissioning Before Cadets Graduate

A joint commissioning ceremony for the Army, Navy, and Air Force military academies was held at Gyeryongdae military complex in South Chungcheong Province on Feb. 20. A total of 558 new officers were commissioned across the three service branches. Notably, this marked the first-ever joint commissioning ceremony exclusively for the three military academies. While there have been cases of holding commissioning ceremonies together with Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) units, the three academies had never held a combined ceremony on their own.

Observers inside and outside the military interpret this as a message demonstrating strong commitment to the Lee Myung-jae administration's national agenda of establishing an integrated tri-service military academy. In January, the civil-military joint special advisory committee's subcommittee on military academy education reform recommended to the Ministry of National Defense the establishment of a Korea Armed Forces Academy, with the existing Army, Navy, and Air Force academies restructured as subordinate colleges.

President Lee also directly mentioned the integration of the three military academies for the first time at the joint commissioning ceremony. "Going forward, we will integrate the Army, Navy, and Air Force military academies to more systematically cultivate defense talent who will lead future battlefields," he said in his congratulatory address. This has been interpreted as a signal for the full-scale pursuit of military academy integration, a campaign pledge and national agenda item.

Setting aside the political background, the unprecedented early joint commissioning ceremony has sparked controversy. Critics question why the ceremony was held when the cadets had not yet received their four-year bachelor's degrees, a mandatory qualification for commissioning as a Republic of Korea officer. While the academy graduates are considered degree candidates, some point out this constitutes preferential treatment compared to Officer Candidate School (OCS) and ROTC officers.

When applying for officer selection in each service branch, both degree holders and expected graduates may participate in the selection process. However, after final selection, candidates must submit their diplomas. Those who cannot do so are not commissioned as officers. A bachelor's degree is required for officer commissioning.

According to Article 8 of the Military Academy Establishment Act, the three service academies are considered four-year universities under Article 31 of the Higher Education Act, and their graduates are awarded bachelor's degrees. Graduates are appointed as second lieutenants in their respective services. However, controversy has arisen as cadets were commissioned as second lieutenants without receiving their diplomas.

The three academies will hold graduation ceremonies starting Feb. 25, following the joint commissioning ceremony on Feb. 20, in the order of Air Force, Navy, and Army academies. Typically, the academies hold graduation and commissioning ceremonies simultaneously. This year, only the joint commissioning ceremony was held separately for the first time, prompting criticism of the unusual arrangement.

Military observers cite two main factors behind the unprecedented early joint commissioning ceremony.

First, there was the need to convey the message about the national agenda of integrated military academies, while accommodating the schedules of the President as commander-in-chief and the Defense Minister. Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek was required to attend the Korea-Canada 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministers' Meeting in Ottawa from Feb. 24-27, necessitating the early commissioning ceremony.

As a result, the cadets were commissioned without bachelor's degrees, unlike OCS and ROTC officers commissioned around the same time.

Furthermore, the academies had previously notified families of graduation and commissioning ceremony schedules and arranged base access. However, when the Ministry of National Defense hastily announced the joint commissioning ceremony, requiring families to be re-notified about the separated ceremonies and to obtain additional access to Gyeryongdae, some families reportedly protested strongly.

Regarding the controversy, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "The joint commissioning ceremony was intended to deliver a message to the public about the integrated military academy and to emphasize jointness. It was held early considering the academic schedule to boost morale and pride among the new officers."

The ministry added, "The commissioning ceremony is a ritual event, and the legal commissioning date is March 1. All military education and credits required for officer commissioning have already been completed, so they have substantive graduation qualifications and there is no problem."

A military source said, "There were opinions that holding an early commissioning ceremony without diplomas to deliver a political message about the integrated academy could cause controversy, but these were not heeded. Due to the President's attendance and the Defense Minister's diplomatic schedule, the commissioning ceremony was held first while graduation ceremonies proceeded as planned, taking into account protests from families who had already made plans to attend graduation ceremonies."