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| Baghdad, Ar-Rustamiyah— Graduation ceremony of the Basic Officer Commissioning Course 99, flag handing over ceremony. 14th July 2009. |
BAGHDAD, Iraq – 281 Iraqi Army and 86 Iraqi Air Force cadets graduated from the Basic Officers Commissioning Course 99 at Ar Rustamiyah Military Academy on July 14, 2009.
The 12-month commissioning course paid special attention to leadership and ethics training while instilling the values and standards required of the future leaders of the Iraqi military. Additionally, the course syllabus covered tactics, weapons training, physical fitness, first aid, current affairs and geography.
The impressive ceremony was attended by numerous Iraqi military dignitaries, including the Minister of Defense, Mr. Mohammed Abdul Kader Al Obeidi, the Iraqi Army Chief of Staff GEN Abu Bakr Zebari, the Chief of Staff for Training Staff LT GEN Hussein Dohi and the Commander of the Academy, MG Majeed Hassan Zgaat. Also manyproud families were present to witness their son's achievement.
In his speech, the Minister of Defense stressed that the future of the Country is in the hands of the cadets who graduated today.
The new Officers Course starts in January 2010 and, in light of lessons learned from the current curriculum, will be three years in duration and specifically designed for officer cadets to get university degrees.
The Iraqi Military Academy of Ar Rustamiyah, or IMAR, was founded in 1924 by the British forces. The Academy, based on the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England, graduated its first class of Iraqi officers in 1927. NTM-I has supported IMAR since 2005. During the past four years, more than 2,500 officer cadets have graduated from the academy.
NTM-I has being training, mentoring and advising officers in the Iraqi Security Forces since 2004, in order to assist the Government of Iraq resume its important place in the international community and to improve the security of all Iraqi people with democratic security forces. NTM-I mentors and supports the INDU, INDC and the Defence Strategic Studies Institute. Other cooperation projects for NATO in Iraq are out of country training courses for Iraqi nationals at NATO schools as well as National Police training led by Italian Carabinieri and at Ar Rustamiyah the Iraqi Military Academy along with the Joint Staff College and Command College. NTM–I officers also provide mentoring and advice to the Prime Minister's National Operations Centre, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior Command Centre and the Iraqi Ministry of Defence Joint Operations Centre.