Following World War I, the French Army organized different army units in the mandated countries. As a result, the necessity for national officers, translators and specialists was needed in order to establish departments for these units and then to become preparation for their independence. A Military School was established in Damascus in 1921 to prepare and train officers needed for these new units. In 1932, the Military School was relocated to Homs. The managerial Staff of the School during that period consisted of a school commander, a commander assistant and training officers with their Non-Commissioned Officers’ assistants. The enrollment and graduation took place during the month of October of every year. The provisos of admission to the military academy back then required an individual to be 18 to 25 years of age, hold a brevet certificate, pass the admissions test and to be a Lebanese or Syrian national or have a Lebanese or Syrian father. The military school trained cadets for various periods, 3 years for those who were not proficient in French, 2 years for those who were proficient in French and one year for Non-Commissioned Officer’s. At the end of the training period, they graduate and get promoted to lieutenant rank according to a degree. During the graduation ceremony which is often chaired by the Syrian prime minister, the graduating officers are given Platoon commander certificate each in his own specialty and a certificate of competence for the rank of lieutenant. After the graduation, the officers are assigned to different army units where they establish the necessary departments and units in order to train, habilitate and lead. On August 15, 1945, the school barracks were handed over to the Syrian authorities and the Lebanese and French units moved to Lebanon. Instructors and students joined the Kobbeh barracks in Tripoli and they were put administratively under the authority of the third battalion's company located there. After that, students were given a 15 days leave and joined a camp in Kousba. On September 25, the school moved to St. Anthony convent in Baabda, and settled there for about a year. On October 14, 1946, the school moved to Shikri Ghanem base, the buildings consisted of barracks that were used by the British before they left Lebanon and the school remained in this location till now. On December 31, 1951, the Lebanese presidentBechara El Khoury inaugurated the school's new buildings.
Mission
The mission of the military academy is to habilitate and train:
Students officers to become 2Lt as a platoon leader in the various branches.
Specialists officers recruited automatically as experienced officers according to their fields of studies.
Not governed by felony or the attempt of a felony of any kind, or by disgraceful misdemeanor or the attempt of an indecent misdemeanor, or by imprisonment for a period that exceed six months and these judgments applied on people who benefit from the pardon.
Bachelor, divorced or widower.
Good reputation, not addicted to alcohol, gambling or drugs.
Undergo a test and be chosen according to his level.
Ready to sign a contract for a period which is defined by the institute that he is applying for.
Ready to commit in writing when accepted and before entering the military school his readiness to break ties and cancellation of his affiliation to any party, association, or union and the non attendance of their meetings.
Admission tests
The admission test to the military school goes through four phases:
Candidates will be able to continue in each of the following phases only if they have passed in the previous phase. The army commandment with the approval of the military council, set out annually and before conducting the admission tests the special terms and conditions of each phase of the test.
