Escuela Politécnica

The Escuela Politécnica is the central military academy of the armed forces of Guatemala and is based in San Juan Sacatepéquez .

history

The Escuela Politécnica was founded by Miguel García Granados Zavala and Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón in September 1873 in the course of the de facto re-establishment of the armed forces of Guatemala after the liberal revolution . At first it was in the Convento de la Recolección in Guatemala City , in 1912 it was moved to a fortress-like building on Avenida La Reforma , the boulevard of the capital. The Ministry of Defense is now located in this building, which is still reminiscent of its earlier use by the military academy . After the severe earthquake of 1976, the academy gradually moved to a new campus in San Juan Sacatepéquez .

The Escuela Politécnica was founded as a cadet institute , at which officer candidates received military training and at the same time completed high school education up to the Abitur . Selected graduates were able to undergo training in engineering , topography or telegraphy at the school after obtaining their officers' license . For this purpose there was a close cooperation with the Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala , which for a time completely integrated its engineering faculty into the Escuela Politécnica or carried out the engineering training of officers entirely at the university.

Although a separate cadet institute was founded in 1955, the Escuela Politecnica remained primarily an officers' school that ended with the Abitur. It was not until the 1980s that it received university status . In addition to their military training, candidate officers must complete a four-year course ( Licenciatura en Tecnología y Administración de Recursos ). The Escuela Politécnica has also been open to women since 1997.

Other schools

Instituto Adolfo V. Hall

Many officer candidates of the Escuela Politécnica come from one of the seven cadet schools of the Instituto Adolfo V. Hall . This institute was founded in Guatemala City in 1955 . In addition to the central institute in the capital, there are now six other schools across the country, where twelve to eighteen-year-old cadets can graduate from high school and, together with university entrance qualifications, obtain a reserve officer certificate. Afterwards they can continue their education at the Escuela Politécnica or return to civilian life.

Escuela Naval de Guatemala

The Guatemalan Naval Academy in Puerto Quetzal ( Puerto San José ) was founded in 1959 and trains officers of the small Guatemalan navy as well as officers of the merchant navy . She has a training ship . In terms of troops, the school is subordinate to the naval command in the Ministry of Defense, and in terms of training it is partly subordinate to the Escuela Politécnica. Prospective naval officers complete their first year of training at the Escuela Politécnica, to which they return at the end of their nautical training.

Escuela Militar of the Aviación

The Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca has a long tradition. The beginnings of EMA go back to a flight school from the pioneering days. As a real officers' school, however, it was not established at Guatemala Airport until 1942, but was soon closed again. After the re-establishment in 1970, it was moved to Retalhuleu in 1989 . There is also a technical officers school. Here, too, the candidates complete the first part of their training at the Escuela Politécnica.

Comando Superior de Educación

The Comando Superior de Educación del Ejército de Guatemala (COSEDE) was founded in 1946 as Escuela (de Aplicación) de Armas y Servicios for the specialist training of officers in their respective branches . In 1970 it was renamed Centro de Estudios Militares (CEM), in 2004 it was renamed Centro de Estudios Superiores de la Defensa Nacional (CESDENA), two years later the current name. The COSEDE is the command academy of the armed forces and is divided into an institute for higher defense studies ( Escuela de Altos Estudios Estratégicos ), a general staff school ( Escuela de Comando y Estado Mayor ), a military technical school ( Escuela de Armas y Servicios ) and a language school ( Escuela de Idiomas ). COSEDE offers various advanced training courses, including the staff officer course . Graduates of the General Staff School and the higher courses may receive a Masters . Guatemalan General Staff officers have the addition "DEM" ( Diplomado de Estado Mayor ) to their rank designation .

The COSEDE is located in the Mariscal Zavala military complex in the north-east of the capital on the Atlantic route CA9 (km 5.5 - Zona 17).