The top military academies around the world and their international alumni

Core values like honour, integrity, duty, service and self-discipline are all pillars on which military academies stand. “Men of character are made not born” is a saying that rings loud and true here.

Military academies offer a structured regime that makes an ideal environment to learn and grow.  Besides character-building and discipline, there are many more advantages of military academies that remain unsung. For instance, some students have the chance to be involved in international programmes (either exchange students or mentor foreign ones). 

With this in mind, we’ll take a look at some of the top military academies around the world and how they’ve set students on the right track to becoming the best versions of themselves:

United States Military Academy West Point

Ranking fourth on the list of military academies in the US, this one boasts about 90 Rhodes scholars. Here, 36 cadets have been awarded a Marshall Scholarship to attend uni in the UK. 

Some of the most notable alumni from here include Antonio Barrios (the first international cadet graduate who went to serve as Guatemala’s Minister of Public Works), Fidel V. Ramos (an international cadet who was the President of the Republic of the Philippines), and Richard Morales Jr. (a Rhodes Scholar and Hispanic physician). 

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

This is a prestigious choice in military academies for the ones who don’t go into the Air Force in the UK. The institution prides itself on excellence in leadership and was established way back in 1802.

The international graduates here range from Nigerian George Kurubo (former Nigerian Airforce Chief), Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and Indian General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri who served as General Officer in the Indian Army.

British and Omani soldiers are conducting low level #training together on Exercise Khanjar Oman.

The desert in #Oman is the perfect training area, providing a realistic environment for our soldiers.

Read more: https://t.co/DNCeRjyOxo#EnduringFriendship #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/2mHzPOptIY

— British Army (@BritishArmy) October 31, 2021

Saint-Cyr Military Academy

Alongside a rigorous training programme, graduates at this French academy earn an MA or MS as commissioned officers. 

The foreign alumni from this French institution include the likes of Akiyama Yoshifuru (a General in the Imperial Japanese Army), Prince Dimitri Zedginidze-Amilakhvari (a Russian Military Officer), and Ali Razmara (a military leader and former Prime Minister of Iran).

Pakistan Military Academy

This academy is Pakistan’s most accredited federal service military school with a four-year undergraduate programme and physical training. Here, a Nigerian General named Tunde Idiagbon, a Bangladeshi Chief of Army Officer, and Sri Lankan former High Commissioner all graduated. 

Military Academy of General Staff

Originally known in Russia as the Imperial Military Academy, this institution began in St. Petersburg in 1832. Currently, it’s known as the Military Academy of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia and many of its alumni were involved in the political struggles of the region.

Some notable international graduates are Beqir Balluku (the former Albanian Minister of Defense), Horst Stechbarth (German former Deputy Minister of Defense), and Mai Xuân Vĩnh (Vietnamese former Chief of the Vietnam People’s Navy).