Defense ministry conducting poll on military cadets over proposed academy integration

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SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Friday it is surveying mili...

SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry said Friday it is surveying military cadets on the proposal to integrate the Army, Air Force and Navy academies as the government seeks to revise the plan amid pushback from alumni groups and key stakeholders.

The online survey, running from Friday through Tuesday, will poll 2,350 cadets across all four class years, excluding about 143 naval cadets set to be deployed for rotational training, a ministry official told reporters.

The ministry is pushing to merge the three institutions into a unified military academy, but the plan has drawn fierce opposition from cadets and alumni who say it could erode the distinct identity and specialized capabilities of each armed service.

The ministry is now reportedly weighing the option of relocating the military academy of the Army out of Seoul as planned while retaining the two others, a move seen as backtracking from its original merger plan.

"The survey aims to evaluate the current military academies and collect cadets' opinions as part of broader efforts to gather input from various sectors to refine the plan for establishing a unified military academy," the official said.

The questionnaire centers on how to strengthen educational capabilities, including facilities, faculty and curricula, while preserving the traditions and specialized expertise of each military branch.

It also gauges cadet interest in a proposed graduate school program under the current integration plan and asks them to provide open-ended feedback on the ministry's plan to establish a unified military academy, the official added.

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