Recruitment at Defence, is divided into two main categories: military recruitment and civilian recruitment.

Military Recruitment

1. The improvement of the financial treatment of military personnel has led to an increase in the interest of youngsters to joining the Albanian Armed Forces. The Military Career is becoming an attractive one, not only for youngsters from civilian life but also for those who are already in a uniform.
The institution responsible for recruiting personnel to join the Albanian Armed Forces as Active Soldiers/Seamen is the Recruitment and Personnel Center (RPC).

How to join the Albanian Armed Forces ... (Albanian only)

2. The structures select candidates for Non-Commissioned Officer positions from the category of Soldier IV/Sailor IV. Recruitment process is to be carried out through internal competition. The application form to participate in the competition has to be addressed to the Command of the Unit where Soldier IV/Seaman IV is serving.
The Rank IV Soldier/ Seaman who meets the criteria attends the Initial Non-Commissioned Officer Course at the Professional Training Center for Non-Commissioned Officers.
Youngsters and young ladies who are part of the Albanian Armed Forces are showing increased interest in continuing their service by attending career courses.

3. RPC also recruits candidates for Officer:

• with Secondary and Higher Education, within or outside the country, to pursue studies at NATO Military Academies, based on bilateral cooperation agreements in military education,
• with Higher Education (minimum Bachelor’s degree), within or outside the country, to meet the needs for specialized positions in the AAF,
• active soldiers/seamen, and non-commissioned officers who meet the criteria set by law, may also compete for studies within the country,
• with the Officer Training Course at the Academy of Armed Forces for students who have completed at least a Bachelor’s degree.

4. With the approval of the law on the Reserve Component, RPC will also recruit reservists, namely Albanian citizens who wish to contribute by becoming part of the Albanian Armed Forces as reservists.
RPC opens procedures for recruitment for each category, or session on the Ministry of Defense website (www.mod.gov.al), where the criteria and required documentation for each candidate are presented according to each standard procedure.

District Recruitment Sections operate throughout the country where citizens receive the necessary information on how they can join the Albanian Armed Forces by category (soldier, seaman; home and abroad studies, or the reserve).

5. Military Career involves the progression through ranks and positions during active military service, which includes the minimum length of service at each rank and the maximum age for remaining in active service. In the AAF, ranks are assigned to officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers/seaman, military students, and military personnel in reserve. In the AAF the military hierarchy includes ranks and positions, from lowest to highest. Military personnel, depending on the hierarchy of functions and ranks, are superiors or subordinates.

Civilian Positions

The Ministry of Defense recruits civilian employees, who do not have the status of civil servants, following standard procedures based on Order no. 1090, dated 02.06.2016, “On the approval of the policy and procedure for managing civilian personnel in the Armed Forces who do not have civil servant status,” as amended.

The act is designed to guide the recruitment, selection, treatment, and development of this personnel, ensuring that processes are fair, transparent, and based on professional needs. This procedure aims to improve the organization and management of civilian personnel without civil servant status, integrating them into the Albanian Armed Forces in a sustainable and efficient manner.