About 600 personnel — including commanders and staff at the Naval Education Command, along with instructors and training NCOs — have led a voluntary effort to earn pilot certifications. They drew attention by obtaining qualifications for four or more types of unmanned powered aircraft (multirotor drones) as part of the “Train 500,000 Drone Warriors” initiative.
Since January, the Naval Education Command, led by Vice Adm. Kang Jeong-ho, has promoted voluntary certification in at least four categories of unmanned powered aircraft. The push reflects the unit’s training priorities and its goal that “anyone in the Navy can operate a drone.” Instructors and training NCOs joined the effort, and roughly 600 personnel earned certifications over about three months.
Training is conducted at the Marine Unmanned Systems Training Center at the Combat Arms School, an institution certified by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. Five specialist instructors qualified in drone instruction and practical evaluation run 18 sessions a year. Those sessions train 144 people annually to earn three-category certifications so operational units can field qualified operators.
The command also runs a range of courses — Drone Familiarization (WELCOME), Advanced Drone Operator, and Unmanned Helicopter Operator — to cultivate a corps of trained drone operators.
With 55 drones and a drone-soccer field recently donated by the Kamtic Institute of Technology, NCO candidates are able to form teams and play matches during weekend downtime. Operational sailors have formed unit drone-soccer clubs and conduct their own activities, helping normalize drone operations across the force.
Col. Oh Jeong-un, head of education and training, said, “The Naval Education Command is preparing to incorporate these courses into our initial and refresher training programs starting July 1. By 2029, we will add drone flight training ranges so more than three times the current number of trainees can receive specialized drone training. We will do our best to create the conditions that allow these graduates to accomplish missions at sea and in base security.”
