Menghean National Defense Academy
대멩 국방 사관 학교 大孟國防士官學校 | |
| File:Menghe National Defense Academy Audience.png | |
| Type | Military academy |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Menghean Army |
Officer in charge | General Jang Sŏng-il |
| Location | Dongrŭng , North Donghae , |
The Menghean National Defense Academy (Menghean: 대멩 국방 사관 학교 / 大孟國防士官學校, Dae Meng Gukbang Sagwan Hakgyo is an undergraduate military academy in Menghe. It is responsible for training officer cadets for the Menghean Army and for command roles in Menghean Army Aviation. It is located in the city of Dongrŭng, two hundred kilometers southwest of Donggyŏng.
History
What is now the Menghean National Defense Academy was founded in 1881 as the Donghae Military Academy, under the Sinŭi Dynasty. It was organized after contemporary Casaterran military practices, and was intended to provide Sinŭi officers with professional training in Western military drills. After the reunification of Menghe in 1899, it remained an important institution for training officers, even as other military academies emerged elsewhere in the country.
In 1929, it was renamed the Menghe Imperial Military Academy, at the personal orders of General Kwon Chong-hoon.
The Menghe Imperial Military Academy was closed in 1944, as the Allied powers believed its history of producing nationalist officers for the Greater Menghe Empire would destabilize their occupying efforts. During the Republic of Menghe period, officer training was instead conducted at the Combined Arms Officer School in the city of Sunju.
Under the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe, the Imperial Military Academy was reopened, but renamed the Menghean People's Military Academy. Several future leaders of the current Menghean government, including Choe Sŭng-min, were educated at the academy during this period. After the Decembrist Revolution, it was renamed the Menghean National Defense Academy, but otherwise remained similar in organization and role.
After the Menghean Army's 2005 military reforms, the Menghean National Defense Academy updated its courses to provide more rigorous training, and lengthened the required time to graduation from two to four years. The Ministry of Defense also expanded the facilities and merged it with the officer training schools in Insŏng and Jinjŏng, aiming to train all officers on a single campus. These changes were gradually implemented between 2006 and 2013.
Application and selection
Would-be cadets can apply to the Menghean National Defense Academy can apply after turning 18. An undergraduate degree is not required, nor is prior military service, though the applicant must have completed high school or be on track to complete it by the end of the academic year. Applicants must also be Menghean citizens, and must not be disqualified by red-line service exemptions.
Successful applicants to the National Defense Academy tend to follow one of three paths: direct entry from a civilian high school, direct entry from one of the Gundae Hakgyo, and application after finishing military service. Members of the second group have the highest acceptance rates, in large part because Gundae Hakgyo are specifically structured to prepare students for life as officer cadets.
Applicants first have to pass a written exam, followed by an interview and a basic medical examination. Recruiters also consider a wide range of other indicators collected during an applicant's secondary education and, if applicable, during their past military service. Past membership in the Youth Vanguard is effectively mandatory, as is a clean criminal record. Those who pass this stage are then required to attend a two-day "cohesion exercise," which tests applicants on their ability to work cooperatively, solve physical and mental challenges, and remain calm and rational under stressful conditions. More than half of all applicants are eliminated in this stage alone. After the cohesion exercise is concluded, the top-scoring applicants are granted admission into the National Defense Academy.
Training
A standard officer training course at the National Defense Academy lasts for four years. During this time, students hold the rank of Sagwan Hubosaeng, or Officer Cadet. The core curriculum encompasses physical education, military history, and military strategy, as well as familiarization with the capabilities of the Army's weapons, vehicles, and aircraft. Political indoctrination and assessment also play a prominent role, mainly to screen the officer corps for potential defectors or moles.
All cadets are required to pursue a degree in Military Science, in addition to a second degree in a related area of expertise. Secondary areas are usually offered in strict quotas to keep the supply of officers consistent with the Army's projected demand. The following secondary degrees are offered:
- Operational art
- Computer science
- Political science
- Civil engineering
- Musical and performing arts
In the final two years of training, officer cadets must face a battery of simulations intended to assess their command abilities. Like entry-level cohesion exercises, these are usually conducted in coordination with other recruits, and applicants are scored not only on their ability to accomplish the task but also on their ability to remain calm and collected during the process. Often, the conditions or objectives will be changed halfway through, or critical lines of communication will deliberately be cut, to test a cadet's ability to respond to unexpected developments. The National Defense Academy has been known to wake cadets in the middle of the night for such exercises, with rushed briefings along the way, and to construct scenarios in which victory is deliberately made impossible. Cadets who perform poorly on these tests are dropped from the graduating class, though they are still encouraged to enter the Army as enlisted volunteers.
At the end of their four-year study, cadets graduate from the Academy with the rank of Sowi, or 2nd Lieutenant. On August 1st, they begin active service in Army posts matching their qualifications. Active officers serve an eight-year term upon entering the Army, and can subsequently re-enlist for one or more four-year terms as volunteers. Officers ranked lower in their graduating class may be placed in the officer reserve, as the commanders of mobilization reserve formations, and posted on active bases part-time as attaches or assistants to active officers.
Notable alumni
- Kwon Chong-hoon, military dictator from 1927 to 1937
- Choe Sŭng-min, current Supreme Marshal of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Menghe
- Kim Pyŏng-sŏ, presumed successor to Choe Sŭng-min
- Gang Yŏng-nam, current Marshal of the Menghean Army