Prevailing in a future conflict: Conventional deterrence and defense strategies with a special reference to the defense planning of the Republic of Korea

This study examines the relevance of maintaining a conventional deterrent and defense posture by the Republic of Korea into the 1990s, with a special reference to the role of doctrines and technologies in modern conflict. The first part of the dissertation critically assesses the defense strategies of South Korea's neighboring powers including the Soviet Union, Japan, the People's Republic of China, and North Korea. The doctrines and strategies employed by these respective national forces are analyzed in order to better understand the evolving geostrategic balance in East Asia. Specifically, the military strategies of the Soviet Union and the PRC are dealt with at length in order to examine North Korea's force postures and politico-military objectives.;The second part of this study refers primarily to the defense planning of the Republic of Korea with a special emphasis on the adaptation of the U.S. AirLand Battle doctrine, the changing conditions for maintaining a conventional deterrent force posture, and the requirements for strengthening interoperability within the Korean-U.S. Combined Forces Command. The defense planning of the ROK Armed Forces was chosen as a focal point of analysis given that it is the only allied army to have adopted the AirLand Battle doctrine. At the same time, lessons are drawn from other pertinent developments such as NATO's Follow-on Forces Attack concept, the evolution in weapons technologies since the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and the changing politico-military attributes in the South-North military balance.