New Academic Year starts in the Armed Forces, Defence Minister Xhaçka: New Vision for Military Education and Training

Published: Monday, 15 October 2018 16:41

The Armed Forces Academy (AFA) has opened the doors to start the new Academic Year 2018 - 2019.

171 military personnel from the Albanian Armed Forces, but also from allied countries, will attend this academic year in all the programs that the Academy of Armed Forces conducts, starting with the course for preparing the junior officers to the Course of High Security and Defence, where future generals are prepared.

Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka congratulated all military personnel attending this academic year at AFA and she explicitly mentioned 59 new candidates to become Albanian military officers and students who were sent to study at the world's most prestigious military academies.

In her speech, Minister Xhaçka demanded for a new, more qualitative vision for the military education and training, given the types of specialists preparing at AFA, but also the structures they serve: "Military education institutions should be the laboratory of theoretical military thinking. To achieve this, undoubtedly, we need a new vision for our military education and training with the aim of being more qualitative, more competitive and attractive and bearing more values. We do not just prepare officers, but we also prepare specialists in all areas for which the Armed Forces are in great need, such as engineers, IT professionals, financiers, doctors, and so on. We prepare personnel and staff to represent us in the most professional and dignified way in the structures and operations of NATO, EU, UN, as well as joint exercises with the Alliance".

Further, Minister Xhaçka dedicated great importance to human resources in the Armed Forces, with emphasis on meritocracy. "Education and enhancement of the professionalism of human resources will remain one of our main priorities and for this purpose we are working to guarantee education in accordance with contemporary standards, and to develop policies that ensure and guarantee career performance and meritocracy in the ranks of Armed Forces. Undoubtedly, our aim is to plan the future of our Armed Forces and we will invest in this objective all our energies in their education and training ", - said Minister Xhaçka.

During the Academic Year 2018 - 2019, the Academy of Armed Forces will conduct courses of Junior Officer Training Course, Senior Officer Course, Basic Course for Staff Officers, General Staff Command Course, and High Security and Defence Course, where senior military officers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Georgia and Kosovo are going to participate.