University of the Military Academy
九兵國學 klju′-prjang-kwek-gruk | |
 | |
| Type | Military academy |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Themiclesia |
| Budget | INT'L$54,330,200 (2015) |
| Chancellor | Prof. Drjang Sjen-'an, Lt. Gen. |
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof. Liei Liak, Lt. Gen. |
Academic staff | 1981 |
Administrative staff | 1278 |
| Students | 1572 |
| Undergraduates | 1238 |
| Postgraduates | 842 |
| 455 | |
| Location | Kien-k'ang , |
The Army Academy (九兵國學, glju'-prjang-kwek-gruk) is the primary officer school of the Themiclesian Army, whose entire officer corps is also part of the Academy's academic staff.
Background and history
Commissions before 1800
Descriptive literature on formal, systematic military education in Themiclesia, before 1300, is lacking, leading to most to assume that Themiclesia had few, if any, dedicated military schools; this implies that most military knowledge was only passed down through institutional legislation and informal channels. When the defensive establishment of Columbian trade routes were agglomerated to form the Colonial Army, military education soon followed for those enlisting, and talented individuals could expect further education and promotion to higher ranks. The Colonial Army (Armies, after 1528) is known to have possessed its own officer training programme, superintended by the Tribune of the Ranks. Since the Colonial Army was geographically and organizationally independent from the home militia system, its training system never spreaded back home. At the same time, militiamen at home who show especial aptitude in leadership, mathematics, and legislation are routinely promoted to petty offices, though further promotion was exceptionally rare.
Prior to the establishment of the Army Academy in 1813, biographical works on notable officers are usually quiet on military education, though phrases like “well-read from a young age in military treatises” are almost inevitable. Despite the lack of formal education, military officers were tested for their aptitude prior to commission. As the civil examinations became established, military subjects were also offered, first seen in 882; candidates were judged on their responses to analytical questions posed to them under the military classics. Sometimes references to later battles are also given, with a specific set of information provided in case the candidate is not familiar with the battle in question; then, they will respond by analyzing the information provided, according to doctrines set forth in the classics.
Excavated Papers in Tumuli Exposed by Floods, III, p. 251. (1951)
Yet whatever the efficacy of this system, qualifiers only gained access to what is comparable to modern company-grade positions; civil servants, appointed ad hoc on the eve of battle, filled higher positions well into the 1700s, considered justified through their skill in administration. The push towards establishing a military academy did not encounter opposition from any generals, since they, renounced their generalships upon return; hence, there were no generals in peacetime. In fact, many senior figures in the civil service spoke out in favour of appointing permanent generals, many having been forced to take up a command when rivals put their names forward to dislodge them from office.
Circumstances around 1800
After establishment, the government increasingly relied upon the Colonial Army to fend off enemies across the Halu'an Sea and in Meridia, but militias retained an active role in defending land borders, since the Colonial Army was stationed abroad. After the naval fiasco at Rad (1791) that destroyed much of the Themiclesian Navy and the Second Maverican War (1791 – 1796) that saw the Colonial Army and 150 militia regiments virtually destroyed to defend the metropole, the political tide turned against the hawkish government, culminating in the Great Settlement of 1801 between the executive and electorate. The Settlement provided that the Colonial Army, widely viewed as wasteful and incompetent, was to be dismantled within ten years, as a buffer for the government to establish adequate institutions in its place. In reality, the Colonial Army's role as a ready, professional force had merged into that of the home militia due to the loss of the Columbian subcontinent, though public opinion did not permit its continuation as such. Of the eight surviving regiments, four were granted to the Navy to defend the Isle of Liang, Themiclesia's only major naval port in the Halu'an by 1800, and the other four were dispersed as petty officers in local militias to satisfy their immediate want.
Objectives at establishment
Traditionally, soldiers were one of four "marginalized" (賤) social groups in Themiclesia, the others being prostitutes, performers, prison guards, and policemen. The legal stigma, acquired from enlistment, was hereditary for three generations after oneself. A "vile" person, though not outright abused, is prevented from seeking public office, except within his profession. Service in the Army was a form of punishment for criminals, and they could substitute their sentences for a length of service. Themiclesia's standing army therefore found little respect, and many children born into a soldier's family had no choice but to become a soldier, forming a "soldier class" of individuals tainted by ill-repute. Due to poor pay and little self-respect, a large number of soldiers resorted to burglary for a living, despite severe penalties stipulated; the phrase "soldier-bandit" (兵匪) became a general appellation for the force. By 1790, the Army was suffering from so many desertions, mutinies, and shortages that it essentially disintegrated in Maverica during the campaign to suppress the Ostlandian rebellion. In combination with social and economic problems that plagued Themiclesia in the late 1700s, the government abolished soliders as a social station and sought to build a new force virtually from scratch.
The Academy was established in 1813 to give the same high-level education to military officers at the same rigour as it was for civilian officers, in an attempt to lend the Army the same presitge (at least in the leadership) that the civil service possessed. Military officers ranking above colonel were still to be part of the high bureaucracy but as premanent offices, rather than temporary assignmnets. New enlisted men were not afforded education under the reforms that created the Academy, but a far more comprehensive training scheme introduced them to practical matters that would concern their ability to engage and their Army careers; the government hoped that by radically reforming the force, more civilians would voluntarily join the Army, with the knowledge that the leadership consists of individuals as highly qualified as senior civil servants. At the very least, it was to reduce the pressure to conscript criminals, a measure heavily stigmatized following Themiclesia's recent defeat in Maverica.
The Academy's particular structure and manner of instruction can be construed as a mixture of simultaneous demands that the government had in mind at establishment, most importantly, the provision of an officer corps capable of rivalling that of Casaterran nations. However, the government feared the wholesale replication of a Casaterray academy, advocated by some prominent commentators, would create a permanent dependancy on that nation. The importation of lecturers from any particular power was also thought to cast doubt on the allegiance of cadets that the lecturer taught, in the event that war should ensue with the lecturer's home state. Moreover, social resistance to such a drastic change in the education system in general would be unbearably large for the nascent Liberal government. A compromise was agreed upon, maintaining some features of traditional academies. To maintain holisticity in its academic staff, retired military officers were hired from many Casaterran states; the first to be represented were the Tyrannian Empire, the Sieuxerrian Empire, the Holy Ostlandic Empire, and the Letnevian Empire. A general endownment by the government allowed the Academy to retain lecturers through lucrative annuities.
19th century to the PSW
The government extended its confidence and respect towards normal schools to the Army Academy, recognizing in it the traditional academic prerogatives, including appointment of the school’s own staff, power of its own budget, over its own police force, and, most importantly, over its own curriculum. To ensure an adequate supply of experience on the field, it was made mandatory for commissioned officers to offer lectures in the academy from time to time; this imitates the Forest of Letters, the opportunity of teaching in which was highly regarded by many civil servants. Little remains today of this primordial Academy, except in teaching methods, the composition of the academic roster, and its permanent relationship with the officer corps. Per its requirements, no-one under 25 or without previous academic experience/training was likely to enrol; teaching style was therefore different from most contemporary military academies but similar to the Forest of Letters.
There are general subjects and lectures offered but no curricular coursework in the normal sense. All work was done through research and debate; this was the standard in Themiclesia in well-regarded academies. Fields of study included domestic military theory (the six military classics), foreign military theory, domestic history, foreign history, law, mathematics, music, and the natural sciences. Each became an independent department as the Academy took up more staff of all nationalities. Other than military officers, professors in other areas were also invited to lecture. By the later part of the 19th century, all major Casaterran schools were represented in the Academy, leading to many celebrated debates, eagerly recorded by students. In 1901, the ex-Ostlandian general Bankstein and Tyrannian general E. B. Nobb, had an argument with each other, lasting 49 hours without rest; it only ended when Nobb and Bankstein attempted to expel each other by their swords. Students took turns to record their arguments, which found their way into many dissertations for the next decades.
In 1857, renowned Tyrannian general Harold Smith Barfield was retained by the Academy for life, upon an annual salary of £10,000, an unexpectedly large amount; when the Chancellor was invited by the government to explain this choice, he instead asked for a new endownment, saying, "Wise prime ministers, your predecessors, have put it at the founding of our school, this is a scheme that will fruit only after a hundred years; in the meantime, we must contend ourselves with watering and fertilizing invisible roots, because only with a good foundation will a large tree be self-sustained, through thick and thin and thunder and storm, without the care of gardener, for a thousand years."
At the end of the 19th century, the Army Academy achieved regional recongition as an enviable place of study. Dayashina annually sent cadets to study there, a practice that would continue until 1937 when hostilities between Themiclesia and Dayashina rendered it untenable.
Modern era
Structure
Admissions
Admission to the Army Academy is by written application; enrolment targets are set each year by the Academy, according to the projections provided by the Army Department, Ministry of Defence. Most years, the Academy admits around 100~200 candidates, closely matching the annual retirement rate of the officer corps. The applicant must possess an undergraduate degree in the Liberal Arts from a recognized university or equivalent foreign institution; qualifications in other fields is always an asset. The Academy strongly recommends having a graduate degree in history, as this would make intensive study of military history, which is mandatory in the Academy, much more familiar. Aside from this, the Academy also considers a first-level Civil Service Qualification to be a charactistic of all competitive applicants, as this guarantees a minimum understanding of Themiclesian laws, traditions, culture, and administrative practices; higher qualifications are not required or expected at this point. There is no upper age limit to admission, though any applicant over the age of 35 will be considered unusual.
Upon presentation of such qualifications, the applicant must submit a short written statement of intent to be enrolled at the Academy; at this point, the candidate may also annexe any written material which he thinks may recommend him above other applicants, since admission is usually competitive. Admission decisions are made by the Academy's admissions department, which takes a hollistic view of the candidate's academic ability, personal character, and commitment. As Themiclesia considers junior cadets a form of child soldiery, such experience is not generally possible; if the candidate has this experience in a foreign country, they are politely reminded that it will be ignored to ensure fairness to domestic applicants. There is no "application form" as such, as the ability to write a good letter and present oneself in a favourable light is, in and of itself, a skill judged by the admissions department.
Application decisions are rendered two to three months ahead of the commencement of the upcoming academic year. Those accepted will receive a letter to notify them of the fact; while those rejected will be invited to apply again for the following year.
Tuitions and grants
Tuitions at the Academy is relatively modest, at around OSD$10,000 per annum, for the doctorate program. The Academy provides residence and food for free. The Academy maintains a large number of grants available to students who demonstrate excellence at any point in their academic careers.
Premises
Societies and factionalism
The Academy at the end of the 19th century was divided into several factions that differed on certain fundamental beliefs about the structural, social, and political philosophy of the armed forces.
Epsilon Society
At the one end, the Epsilon Society openly supported "Conservative philosophy"—the Great Settlement, the unwritten constitution, and that the armed forces were a specialized part of the Themiclesian Civil Service. They usually stated that the Civil Service was equivalent to the state, and its head, the emperor, through the government, exercised bureaucratic control over the armed forces exactly as he did over other parts of the Civil Service. The Epsilon Society, also deeply ingrained in legislative textualism, rejected any special relationship to the Navy, believing it was administratively ultra vires for any part of the armed forces to be associated with any other part, without the statutory sanction. For similar reasons it also did not accept the notion of a "Themiclesian Army", believing intsead it was a "group of forces with independent mandates and legal status" that "at times share a common leadership". It also championed the notion of parliamentary supremacy and sovereignty, believing that statutes, orders-in-council, and military commands, in this order, had their respective legal effects; this also formed part of their philosophy that the military was not distinct from civil government and should, in all contexts except statutorily excluded ones, be subject to the same laws. By extention, every military officer was also a "petty judge", in that he interpreted the laws relevant to his office as the highest principle of its execution.
According to independent commentators, members of the Epsilon Society were overwhelmingly from the "privileged classes", those who were entitled to enter the bureaucracy through rural elections; as a rule, a sibling or cousin was also a bureaucrat, and the cadet himself may choose not to enter the military but the bureaucracy upon graduation, retaining the right to become a military officer under mobilization. Admittedly, this was far more common in the early and mid-1800s, but even by 1900 the reputation of the Academy bolstered by foreign lecturers in military and other fields in history made it an independently desirable place to study. As such, students of other universities audited courses or even graduated there, never to have a military career at all. Since Conservative cadets tended to be those who had the choice of joining the bureaucracy as a first option after graduation, and more than likely some parts of their families were already in the bureaucracy, it was thus not surprising that their position was thoroughly pro-bureaucracy.
Progressive Society
At the other extreme, the Progressive Society built on the Academy's rule of free education and sought to introduce foreign theories about the relationship between state and military.
Athletics
Noteworthy alumni
Trjuk Krjên-magh
Trjuk Krjên-magh (筑柬寞) was a Conservative MP for his home city Rjat-lang between 1847 and 1849. With an existing degree in mathematics, he joined the Army Academy after his bid to retain his seat in the 1849 general election failed, attaining a doctorate in 1852, in discrete calculus. He left the Academy to become Director of Education of ′jong Prefecture then Marshal of Sjeh in 1855. After entering into a prolonged dispute with the Secretary of State for War that year, he resigned his position. In 1859 he accepted a commission as a major in the 2nd Regiment of Marines, promoted to colonel in 1863. Against his men's desire to fight, he ordered the surrender of the regiment in the Battle of Liang-la in 1867. After a public inquiry, he was allowed to remain in office. Due to his superior credentials, the Ministry of Administration nominated him as Captain-General in 1870. He died in this office in 1881. To date, he is not the only alumnus of the Academy to have become Captain-General of Marines, but he is the only one to have specialized in calculus to have attained to that office.
Yutaka Ueda
Yutaka Ueda was a Dayashinese cadet of the Imperial Dayashinese Army who came to study, at the expense of the IDA's High Command, at the Army Academy between 1913 and 1920. He was associated with the School of Law and specialized in military law and co-operation between military and civil authorities. In 1918, he published his dissertation On the Justification and Interpretation of Law in the Military, in which he argued that the military forces must be given a measure of independence from politics and possess a clear ethic to prevent corruption by political factions. The following year, the dissertation was read before a panel of six professors and ten tenured colonels of the Themiclesian Army and reportedly generated "a sudden quiet" amongst the faculty and students, who were expected to heckle out criticisms. This was radical for Themiclesian attitudes at the time, which generally accepted that the democratic will was the highest law of the land and could not be questioned, especially in the military. After several hours of intense debate, the college awarded Ueda his degree as Master of Laws. Despite having several papers not yet published, he was suddenly called home under pressure, ostensibly for his controversial thesis.
During his studies in the Army Academy, Ueda was part of the Progressive Society and the Alpha-Gamma-Eta fraternity. These cadets were known for their radical views about the relationship between government and military, generally favouring a greater divide between them than had been the case. Their chief opponents, the Epsilon Society, followed the Conservative doctrine that the military was an extension of the civil service and must adhere to the government, through statute and budget. Ueda noted that the Epsilon Society tended to be from more established (sometimes aristocratic) families that owned vast tracts of land, while the Progressives were mostly from the middle class that arose through commerce or industry. Comparing himself to the middle class, Ueda called the Epsilons the "Society of Rent Collectors". While upholding careful scholarship, he also developed a firey reputation from instant, witty rebuttals to unsound lecture material. This led some faculty members to detest him, while others made him their assistants and gave him special guidance. In 1915, he was the finalist in a stenographed debate, leading the Progressive argument, against Conservative debaters. The transcript was published for the student body to vote, which ultimately came down on the Conservative side. This may have been one of his motivations to assert the benefits of the radical paradigm in his dissertation.