Education and training of new officers, Xhaçka: Coping with changes in the curricula of the AFA

Published: Friday, 11 May 2018 10:53

The Armed Forces Academy (AFA) celebrated the 60th Anniversary of its creation. Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka, present at this event, explained that the mission of this academy will continue to be the preparation, education and qualification of military and civil senior staff specialists.

"Under the conditions of the new security environment developments in the region and beyond, the Academy of Armed Forces will continue to have the mission of preparing, educating and qualifying senior experts of military and civilian personnel for all the levels of leadership of the Armed Forces in the field of Defence and Security.
Attention should focus on the preparation of new officers, starting with the model to be chosen, a model that is integrated with the national higher education, but also with those of NATO countries", - said Xhaçka.

During her adress, the Defence Minister emphasized that, with the new tasks that the Albanian Government has assigned to the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces, the changes in the curricula should be adapted to make it more efficient.

"Under the conditions when the Albanian government has charged the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces with the management of Civil Emergencies and with the initiative of the Prime Minister, to promote the duties of Prefects as well as reservists in other security institutions in the country, the Academy is also responsive to the relevant changes in its curricula in order to educate and qualify in the field of security senior staff specialists of other security institutions in the country.

For all these priorities, the Doctrine and Training Command and the Academy of Armed Forces will have the ongoing support of the Ministry of Defense, Myself, personally, as well as the support of General Staff, in developing a new vision to evolve the institution in accordance with future developments of the Armed Forces and society, in the necessary structural and program changes as well as in the promotion of an academic staff capable to cope with these changes", - concluded Minister Xhaçka.


The Academy of the Armed Forces represents the highest level of education and training in the Armed Forces. Different courses are conducted here: Basic Course of Staff Officer, General Staff and Command Course, Senior Course Officer and High Course on Security and Defence.

The Armed Forces Academy was established on May 10, 1958 in Tirana, in the region of Rrapi Treshit, initially named the “Shkolla e Lartë Ushtarake”. During its 60 - year history, it has changed its name several times, but its mission has never changed: to educate younger military generations to serve the country at any time, in accord with the timely challenges.