European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 9, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse British West Point teaches cadets Fine Art of leadership by Meridith Winder . Bureau est Point it s not. But the Royal military Academy Sandhurst in Camberley England has the same Job turning Young men and women into military officers and leaders. The aim of Sandhurst is to produce a Junior officer capable of commanding a platoon said British army maj. Ian Park Weir. " we want to give them the leadership potential As a Junior the Sandhurst Campus which is approximately 35 Miles Southwest of London sprawls Over 900 acres and features two main College buildings the old College and the new College geared to producing Young officers. The Academy offers a three term course lasting just one year unlike the four year course at the . Military Academy at West Point n.y., that ends with a College degree and a commission. Each Sandhurst term lasts 14 weeks with three or four weeks of leave Between each term. The course does t Lead to a degree since. Approximately 70 percent of the officer candidates have already attended College. The course is designed to teach All army officers a common military syllabus that will give them the skills to command 30 soldiers during War according to Park Weir a protocol Public relations officer. It does t matter whether they will go to the infantry artillery logistics or other specialities. At the end of their year they go to their own Branch of the army to attend school that will Leach their own particular skill he said for instance an Engineer would go to engineering school. We Don t teach that what they do teach Are leadership techniques organization of the army effective communication military writing and military tactics which cover conventional warfare and counter revolutionary warfare. The course also includes the obligatory Field exercises obstacle course drills and ceremonies. We Don t have such a grandiose setup As West Point Park Weir said. But a have a Large academic stall that teaches people on International affairs and communications during the first term cadets attend courses at the old College which covers the majority of Basic skills. Once they Complete this term they move on to the new College for two terms of More advanced courses. Sandhurst s student body is different from West Points where the majority of cadets enter the Academy straight from High school. Sandhurst s enrolment is made up of enlisted service members who have been offered a commission As Well As those who go directly from secondary school the British equivalent of High school. The majority of our people Are College graduates said Park Weir. That s opposed to my time when you came straight out of school. There was also conscription which we called National some of those attending Sandhurst come from Welbeck College in Worksop England which Park Weir described As basically a technical College but biased towards the anyone who attended Welbeck or received an army scholarship can enter directly into Sandhurst. All other applicants must pass a regular commissions Board. Once qualified they Start their training. Women started attending Sandhurst in 1984 and go through virtually the same training As the men. There Are one or two exceptions when it comes to the physical Load Park Weir said. Their the women s physiology is different. They Aren t required to carry As much weight As the men also when the women go through the assault course some of the larger obstacles Are removed according to Park Weir. Otherwise they do exactly the same As the men he said. They Are integrated with the men to the extent that you will find that a company which has three platoons will be two male platoons and a female they also live in the same areas with some coed dormitories. This is kind of a strange Way for us he added. Because we being British have been so chauvinistic about this. It s quite the British Aren t the Only ones who attend Sandhurst. More than 75 countries have sent cadets to the school. According to a pamphlet on the Academy King Hussein of Jordan As Well As the Sultan of Oman and the Sultan of Brunei graduated from Sandhurst. Sandhurst got its Start from two military training schools. They were the Royal military Academy Woolwich and the Royal military College Sandhurst. Woolwich was established in 1741 and set up to train officers in the artillery engineers and signals communications. In 1799 a Small College was founded at High Wycombe approximately 25 Miles Northwest of London. That College catered to those officers going into the cavalry and infantry. The College at High Wycombe was moved to Sandhurst in 1812 but the other Academy kept running at Woolwich. In 1939 the military Academy at Woolwich and the College at Sandhurst were closed. They then reopened after world War ii in the present form at Sandhurst. Approximately 750 cadets Complete the Junior officer course annually Park Weir said. We have a Long history and Are quite proud of a statue of Prince Napoleon a former Sandhurst Cadet and son of emperor Napoleon Iii stands guard near the Parade ground. 18 the stars and stripes maj. Ian Park Weir we have a Long history and Are quite proud of it. Clockwise from above part of Britain s equivalent of West Point s Long Grey line marches across Sandhurst s grounds an instructor measures the length of a stride of the marching cadets a. Park Weir watches a group of female cadets Drill. Is photos by Dave Didio. A
