On 30th October, 2023 (local time in Belgium), Defense Acquisition Program Administration (hereinafter referred to as DAPA), led by Minister Eom Donghwan, announced that DAPA signed the "MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING CONCERNING COLLABORATION ON THE MAINTENANCE OF S-SERIES IPS SPECIFICATIONS”with Integrated Product Support Council (hereinafter referred to as the IPS Council), an organization responsible for overseeing international specifications related to the operation and maintenance of weapon systems.
"Integrated Product Support (hereinafter referred to as IPS)" refers to the essential activities required for operation and maintenance of weapons in military service. Since weapons are intended for only military use, such IPS should be developed accordingly. The case in points are the tools used for disassembling and assembling of weapons, and technical manuals contains instructions for operation and maintenance.
The S-Series is an international specification that outlines the procedures for developing IPS, required for operation and maintenance of weapon systems, and how to manage related data. Following the signing of MOU in last December between DAPA and the S1000D Council which oversees the international specifications of technical manual. As such, the signing of recent agreement with the IPS Council completes reaching Memoranda of Understanding with all organizations responsible for international specifications in IPS.
The S-Series overseen by the IPS Council comprises six main specifications, including SX000i for overall of IPS, S2000M for supply of repair items, and S3000L for analysis tasks as well as 10 supplementary specifications covering definitions of input data, terminology, guiding book and more. The IPS Council is currently engaged in the revision process for these specifications with the goal of enhancing their completeness with its plan to distribute the 2nd integrated specification on April 30, 2024. With the signing of this MOU, the DAPA can now participate in the revision of the S-Series specification, which will be released next year.
During the Defense Industry Development Council meeting held in February, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy formulated strategies to support defense companies' global market expansion, and announced plans to promote technological development in line with international specification, standards and compatibility to enhance the global competitiveness of commercial enterprises. The MOU signing enables the DAPA to engage in the revision and advancement of the S-Series, international specifications in the defense industry sector, and to play a leading role in enhancing international standing of K-defense on the global stage.
The Deputy Minister for Current Capabilities Program (Senior Civil Officer, Cho Hyunki) stated, “Through the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the IPS Council, the DAPA now can jointly participate in developing international specifications related to the operation and maintenance of weapon systems, and this marks a significant step forward to globalization and standardization of South Korea's defense industry.” He also added, “Through this collaboration, we aim to enhance operational capabilities of weapon systems in military and contribute to boosting exports for our companies, ultimately making a significant contribution to the Republic of Korea in becoming one of the world's top four defense exporting nations.”
