The Effects of Joint Education Programs on Cohesion among South Korean Military Academy Cadets

摘要

The goal of this study is to examine the effects of the joint education program that was newly constituted by the South Korean Army, Navy, and Air Force Academy in 2012 to improve the South Korean military's joint operational capability. This paper investigates whether the joint education program bridged the cultural gaps that had existed historically among the armed services, resulting in a greater exchange of camaraderie and information. The findings demonstrate the positive impact of a joint education program on the exchange of camaraderie. In the later stage of joint education, military cadets are less likely to exchange camaraderie with those who came from the same military academy; but they are more likely to exchange camaraderie with those who share the same room in the military barracks, and with those who participate in formal training in the same classroom. In comparison to the exchange of camaraderie, however, the joint education program failed to produce a collaborative atmosphere in which three random service academy cadets actively exchanged information with one another. The South Korean case provides a model for building cohesion across different service members by using education, while also demonstrating its limitations.