SPP Exchange Advances ROK Army’s 2040 Defense Reform
That stark demographic reality is forcing one of America’s closest allies to redesign its military. It is also why a four-day reserve forces exchange held Sept. 8-11 carried unusual weight.
The exchange brought together U.S. Pacific Command (US PACOM), the Republic of Korea Army, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Hawai'i and Oregon National Guards. The goal was to share best practices and explore how the U.S. National Guard model can support South Korea’s efforts to build a highly capable reserve component alongside a smaller, more professional active-duty force by 2040.
The Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense has already charted the course. The active-duty force will shrink and become more elite, with the share of officers and noncommissioned officers rising from about 40 percent to 63 percent. Overall defense manpower will stabilize near 500,000, but a much larger share will come from a professional standing reserve and civilian experts. Advanced technology, especially uncrewed systems and artificial intelligence, will be asked to fill the gaps left by fewer young soldiers.
The smaller active-duty force will focus on high-intensity combat roles, while a stronger, better-equipped reserve will take on greater responsibility for both peacetime security missions and wartime operations. For the ROK Army, the central question is no longer whether the reserves will matter. It is whether they can develop the leadership, technical skill and unit cohesion to defend the nation when the active-duty force is significantly smaller.
“South Korea is moving toward a force built around experienced leaders, standing reservists, and integrated crewed and uncrewed systems,” said Col. Park Hyun Gyu, chief of the Reserve Education and Training Policy Branch. “To succeed, the reserves must maintain high levels of leadership, technical proficiency and unit readiness as the active-duty force shrinks.”
That question shaped discussions and training events throughout the exchange hosted by the Korean army’s Mobilization Forces Command.
South Korea is expanding its standing reserve — former active-duty soldiers who volunteer to keep training in their wartime jobs during peacetime. The goal is 50,000 standing reservists by 2040, equipped closer to active-duty standards and proficient with drones and other advanced systems.
Participants spent the week on the hard work that builds a reserve: recruiting and keeping quality people, fair compensation, how often they train, who maintains the equipment between drills, the full-time support staff that holds units together, and long-term force design.
The Hawai'i National Guard offered a proven and successful model. Guard units blend part-time citizen-soldiers with full-time Active Guard and Reserve members and military technicians. That mix keeps equipment ready and training on track year-round while still letting most members hold civilian jobs. It also gives former active-duty soldiers a path to keep serving and brings civilian skills in engineering, medicine, information technology and logistics into the formation.
The Philippine delegation’s presence grew out of a relationship already a generation old. The Hawai'i National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have been partners in the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program since 2000. That 26-year friendship, built on repeated training and personal trust, is why Philippine Air Force Col. Glen Cabalquinto was in the room.
“We face many of the same issues as the ROK Army as we develop the Philippine Air Force Reserve,” Cabalquinto said. “This exchange lets us compare approaches and identify solutions we can adapt to our own needs.”
The real story unfolded in the field. Hawai'i National Guard members and Korean reservists trained together in urban operations, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense, weapons qualification and emergency medical care. Korean instructors demonstrated their science-based Reserve Training Management System, which uses smartwatches to track each reservist’s training and performance in real time, a system several U.S. participants said they would like to study further.
A separate session with the 72nd Infantry Division, known as the Olympic Division, showcased South Korean soldiers’ skill with first-person-view drones.
“The ROKA drone team is highly skilled in building and flying first-person-view drones,” said Oregon Army National Guard Lt. Col. Mark Timmons. “These skills are critical to the rapid deployment of drone attack capabilities. They are also developing concepts for logistics delivery and dropping munitions.”
The deeper lesson from the week was simple. A modern reserve cannot be created in a single exchange. It requires consistent training, experienced full-time support, clear pathways for people to stay in the force, and partnerships that last for decades rather than months.
That is why the National Guard’s State Partnership Program continues to matter. The National Guard makes up nearly 20 percent of America’s total military force. Through long-term relationships such as Hawai'i’s 26-year partnership with the Philippines, U.S. Pacific Command stays in the conversation with allies year after year, not only when a large exercise is on the calendar. That kind of steady cooperation is what a reserve force needs.
“A strong reserve force is built through continuity, not a single engagement,” said Col. Chris Chon, senior Guard adviser for U.S. Pacific Command’s J-55 Security Cooperation Division. “Deliberate planning, candid discussion and clearly defined goals allow each exchange to build on the last. That sustained effort will help South Korea develop a reserve force ready for the demands of 2040 and beyond.”
As South Korea confronts one of the most severe demographic challenges in modern military history, this exchange demonstrates how U.S. Pacific Command, the National Guard and key allies are working together to build resilient, future-ready reserve forces across the region. The relationships forged and lessons shared here represent far more than a single event. They are a vital investment in the enduring security architecture of the Indo-Pacific.
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