Royal War College

Royal War College

Motto	Missio Prima Semper Homines
Motto in English	Mission First. Men always.
Type	Military college
Established	1745 (1745)
Affiliation	Aquitaynian Armed Services
Budget	75.4 million
Chairman	Senior Field Marshal Hanz Eichfeld
Students	3,450
Undergraduates	2,850
Postgraduates	500
Doctoral students	100
Location	Telora , Acril , Aquitayne
Campus	Rural
Colors	Red  –  White  –  Blue

The Aquitaynian Royal War College is a military education college, who's mission is to increase the capabilities, resolve, knowledge, and competence of the Officer Corps. The college was founded not long after the Aquitaynian War of Independence which ended in 1741, and has an official establishment date of 1745. The college would quickly become a highly reputable and sought-after posting, and likewise the highly competitive admissions list left, usually, only nobles and knights on par to attend. The college's first class of attendees numbered only 45 total, and the small student roster would become a staple for decades. In 1850, however, the admissions council and Ministry of Defense announced that the college would be expanded, and within six years the college had doubled in size and had over 500 students.

In 1891, however, during the War of the Usurper, Cassonaise troops would raid the Aquitaynian shoreline and set fire to the War College, leading to its complete destruction. Discussions about closing the college were quickly dismissed, and the King allocated funds via royal decree to rebuild the college at four times its previous size. The college would be closed for the next 10 years as rebuilding went on, and would officially re-open in 1901. Within twenty years, the graduates of the War College would be called upon to serve in the Great Astyrian War, and it was through this war that the true value of the college became apparent not only to military leaders, but the public as well.

The Royal War College has graduated, throughout its history, over 70,000 officers - of which only a few go on to be granted flag officer positions within the Aquitaynian Military. Until 1985, the Royal War College was solely reserved for officers at the rank of Colonel (O6), and was considered a pre-requisite for placement in a general staff position. In 1890, in response to the outbreak of the War of the Usurper (and prior to its destruction in a raid), the Royal War College opened its doors - and increased its class size from 500 to 2,500. Open to all commissioned officers within the Aquitaynian military, as well as foreign officers, it also increased size to include undergraduate admissions to its Cadet Corps, providing a direct pipeline of new officers for the armed forces that had legitimate military training. Admissions increased drastically, and the molding of new, young officers and older, seasoned veterans mixed to create an unparalleled environment of experience, knowledge, innovation, and expansion.

Most recently, in 2020, the Royal War College finished its most recent update to facilities, faculty, staff, and housing for students. The college now boasts a 2,000 student annual retention rate, and, for the first time in over 50 years, is once again allowing foreign officers to attend and learn within its halls.

Mission

The mission statement of the Royal War College is to:

• Educate, train, and inspire leaders of character;
• Lead students to become principled commanders by instilling the core values of the War College:
  • Honor
  • Duty
  • Respect
• Train and hone military skills, knowledge and experience to provide for the national defense.

History

Official visit of Augustus I at the then-new Royal war College, formerly the villa Turcellius Adventus in 1745.

The Royal War College was created by order of Augustus I on 5 January 1744, three years after the end of Aquitayne's war for independence against the Empire of Exponent, to establish a new military university. Augustus aimed to replace the informal social expectation that noblemen educate their sons in military tactics and history throughout their upbringing. Though this practice would continue, Augustus hoped for the standardization of the officer corps and the competency at which new officers would enter the military service. At the time of its creation, the then-abandoned palatial villa of the previous Exponential governor, Turcellius Adventus, stood empty on the outskirts of Telora. Augustus ordered the property commandeered for government use and it quickly became the focal point for military education in the nation, with many senior officers from the revolution taking teaching positions at the college.

The school trained a large number of young officers and generals who served during the War of the Usurper and other conflicts. During that war, Cassonaise troops would raid the shoreline of Aquitayne and burn down the Royal War College building in 1891. The college was ordered to be rebuilt at four times its previous size, and has received additional expansions since.

A reform in 1890, prior to the raid by Cassonian troops, split the school into two entities: the current undergraduate school, devoted to the training of direct-recruitment officers, recruited through annual national exams and interviews, and the postgraduate cadets from internal recruitment (selected from officer ranks). This second school also devoted education resources to administrative specialists, officers and generals. The school admitted its first female cadets in 1980 and underwent minor reforms in 2004 to increase diversity in its recruitment.

Since 1744, over 70,000 Cadets and officers have been trained, along with over 4,000 international cadets. Of the Aquitaynian graduates, 11,291 died on the field of battle. Alumni also count 3 Prime Ministers, 15 current and former Knight Commanders of the Order of the Rose, and each Aquitaynian monarch since Richard I attended in 1813.

Motto

The motto of the Royal War College is Missio Prima Semper Homines, meaning "Mission First, Men Always". This motto derives from the College's belief that each of the officers it produces must first be able to lead the soldiers they're tasked with commanding. This is ingrained in the studies and classes the Cadet and postgraduate students are taught in.

Application

Cadets are recruited through a national annual competitive exam, during their final year of primary education. Aquitaynian students take exams on general knowledge, aptitude and intelligence, and also sit for an interview and must pass a medical physical and physical fitness test.

• Standard test: Recruitment occurs during the final year of primary education for Aquitaynian students, typically in the second half of their last year. Students are required to submit an "Intent for Application" at least one year before their graduation to allow the College time to arrange interviews, tests and background checks. Six months after students file their intent to apply, they will sit for the Military Entrance Exam (MEE) which will score them in topics ranging from mathematics to general knowledge, sciences, history, and language skills. If the applicant passes, they will proceed to the interview phase.
• Interviews are conducted by War College alumni only, which usually means they are currently-serving officers or retired officers of substantial rank. These interviews are notoriously intense for applicants, with the interviewers asking very direct, open-ended questions to see how the applicant reacts under pressure.

Applicants who score well enough on the MEE and score highly in the interview are then moved to the Selection Committee, which will decide if they're admitted. Additionally, a number of foreign students are admitted annually. They are required to travel to Aquitayne to complete their in-person interview, but may complete the MEE abroad.

Training

Undergraduate

First rank of Cadets on parade.

The learning approach that the Royal War College embraces in regards to the Center for Strategic Studies is a full-envelopment approach. The War College believes that by enveloping students in the very topics they're learning about and discussing in the classroom, they will better understand the nature of why those events took place, and how they unfolded. The War College calls this technique the "Envelopment Model", and uses it throughout lectures across the college's academic courses. This degree encompasses the full spectrum of operations, and covers a wide variety of both military and social, political and economic subjects that allow for an encompassing view on the world and how it interacts with itself.

For undergraduate students, the course is four years long and covers academic training, military strategy and theory, practice of war, training, physical training, and leadership and organizational training. The first year involves military training and academics. The second and third year focus on academics with one to three week breaks for military training exercises. The last year focuses solely on military operations and integrating students into military units, familiarizing them with Ministry of Defense doctrine and administrative requirements as well. Officer cadets at the Royal War College are commissioned officers and attend school from September to July. Each class of the RWC is organised as a battalion and thus the Corps of Cadets is structured as a regiment.

Upon graduation, cadets are awarded the diploma of the War College, which is a master's degree in International Relations and Military Strategy, Management, or a military degree, depending on the major. Majors are in engineering, science subjects or specialization in classics, modern or ancient history, modern and ancient languages, law, security, political science or military studies. Typically, degrees will also bear the name of the Center under which the student gained their diploma.

Graduates leave the school with the rank of lieutenant and are assigned to a regiment to serve as a platoon leader.

Post-graduate

Each school of the Royal War College also contains postgraduate and doctoral programs for officers who have already completed their undergraduate degrees and are already serving in their respective armed forces. The War College allows foreign officers to pursue postgraduate degrees and encourages them to do so. Since most of these students are already seasoned officers, there is less focus on espirit de corps and more focus on full spectrum of operations training and analysis to provide immediate benefits to their military experience. These students are not considered Cadets, and are authorized (and expected) to wear their military uniforms daily to classes. Cadets are requried to render hand-salutes to any of these officer-students and assist them if needed.

Most master's programs take two to three years, offering degrees in International Relations, Military Strategy, Strategic Studies, Leadership and Management, Engineering, among others. The only doctoral program the War College provides is a doctorate in International Affairs and Strategic Studies.

Schools

Center for Strategic Studies

The Center for Strategic Studies forms the foundation of studies at the Royal War College. The Royal War College believes that, for any officer to excel at their position, they must have a fundamental understanding not only of how a military organization functions - from the fiscal allocations to the maneuvers they learned in Officer Candidate School - but also of how the world around them functions, and how rapid developments in geopolitical and social standings can directly affect national security and their troops.

All first-year students attending the Royal War College must complete the academic course load for the Center for Strategic Studies. Without this foundation of knowledge and global scope, it is unrealistic to expect students to be able to grasp the larger themes and ideas expressed in the other specific education centers. The Royal War College believes that understanding the world as a whole, and having the ability to divide it into political, social, economic and ethnic diversities is key to being able to effectively deploy troops, manpower, resources, and special forces across the globe. The Center for Strategic Studies can be a complete degree from the Royal War College. The scope of the Center for Strategic Studies widens broadly after the basic per-requisite courses are completed, however taking these classes is not necessary for advancement through the War College. The War College is interested in examining and dissecting the military maneuvers and political power-plays that encompass the world, and understanding why and how those endeavors were successful, or failed. The War College's Center for Strategic Studies features a full-time staff of retired Special Operations officers, four-star generals who headed Aquitaynian Combatant Commands, as well as infantry officers and intelligence officers from around the world. Their main focus is not only to educate students that attend this Center, but likewise to publish academic papers and research regarding military's around the world and their engagements.

Notable Alumni

• Aquitayne - Augustus Reich (b. 1958), current Secretary of State for Defense and former Commandant of the Royal Marines.