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Warmatrix

War Matrix - Military academy

Age of Reason 1620 CE - 1750 CE, Weapons and technology

USMA graduates
USMA graduates
A military academy is a formal military education institute where cadets are trained to become army officers. Before the appearance of academies officers where almost always noblemen, trained by fathers and their lieutenants. There was no formal education system; the quality of the training depended on the quality of the trainers.
Military academies were and still are nation-wide institutions. They appeared at the same time that large standing national armies appeared. These require a large and competent officer corps, something that the traditional nobility could not provide.
The first military academy was the Royal Danish Naval Academy, established in 1701 CE. During the 18th century CE, other countries followed the Danish example and set up institutions of their own. At first the focus was on mathematics and engineering, to produce competent artillerists and engineers, but soon the curriculum was expanded to include military history, tactics, logistics, psychology and more, producing a wide range of officers.
Many military academies are state-sponsored, others are private institutions. In modern times, not all graduates are required to pursue a military career.