South Korea risks building a large drone inventory before it completes the command networks, specialist units and defenses needed to use that force effectively.

The ROK Ministry of National Defense’s new drone strategy calls for the first phase of a rapid buildup by 2029, including more than 20,000 low-cost operational drones and training for 500,000 “drone warriors.”

The wider plan also covers training aircraft, long-range attack drones, counter-drone systems and changes to the military organization responsible for developing them.

The urgency is clear. North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia are gaining direct exposureto drone operations, electronic warfare and counter-drone