Direction of development of leader education and training of the ROK Army

Abstract

This study was conducted to explore the direction of the development of leader education and training that has a profound effect on the level of combat power in the army. To this end, a survey of 1,110 active and non-commissioned officers and interviews with 15 lieutenants who had experiences in leader education and training were conducted to identify and analyze their perceptions of the current leader education and training program. The study analyzed the leader development of the US Army, which was the model on which the leader education and training program of the ROK Army was based. The present study proposed the development directions of the army leader education and training; ‘reviewing the term ‘leader’’, ‘reviewing the criteria and guidelines for classification of education and training’, ‘preparing standardized educational materials and sharing system’, and ‘developing principles for leader education and training’. The Army recognized the importance of the role of leaders in education and training, and made great efforts to improve the level of leaders. However, the perception of leaders who are actually subject to leader education and training, and research on the US Army have not been conducted. This study is of great significance as it is the first to fundamentally look back on leader education and training of the ROK Army and present the direction of its development.