This evening in Nouakchott, His Excellency the President of the Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Security Forces, Mr Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, attended the graduation ceremony for the 18th cohort of the General Staff Course and the 6th cohort of the Special General Staff Course for the 2024/25 academic year.
During the final ceremony of the 2024/25 academic year at the Military College, the President of the Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Security Forces handed out certificates to the top ten students from the two cohorts, comprising 87 trainee officers.
Among them were 48 Mauritanian officers, with the remainder hailing from Saudi Arabia, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Yemen.
In his speech at the event, the Minister of Defence, Veterans and Families of Martyrs, Mr Hananna Ould Sid’, said that the President of the Republic’s personal supervision of the graduation ceremony for these two groups of graduates demonstrates his commitment to developing our armed forces and enhancing their ability to defend the security and stability of our beloved homeland as part of his enlightened strategic vision.
He added that the President of the Republic had repeatedly emphasised the importance of upgrading and developing military training and education institutions. This is in recognition of the fact that highly competent and ready forces require well-trained personnel as much as they require advanced equipment.
The Minister added that great efforts had been made, in accordance with the President of the Republic’s instructions, to establish the National College for Command and Staff as a distinguished academic and military institution that provides our armed forces with highly qualified personnel.
He added that the college’s infrastructure and services had been developed by combining academic and military training programmes, thereby improving their training methods. Furthermore, it has strengthened its cooperation with numerous countries and military bodies, establishing itself as an exceptional training institution that benefits trainees from across Africa and the Middle East.
He confirmed that, with God’s help and strength, the development and support of this institution will continue in accordance with the President of the Republic’s instructions, given its importance in strengthening our forces. This is particularly important in the context of the highly sensitive regional and international situation, characterised by acute and diverse crises and accelerating transformations.
The Minister of Defence emphasised that this graduation marks a pivotal moment in the graduates’ professional journey: the culmination of their hard work and dedication; the fruit of the excellent, valuable guidance they received from support teams. He also offered them advice, urging them to embody the highest values of professionalism and dedication in their duties and to bear in mind the dignity of their nation and its right to loyalty and sacrifice.
In turn, the commander of the National Academy for Leadership and Staff Colonel Sidi Mohamed Ould Hamadi expressed his deep gratitude and immense appreciation for the blessings of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Security Forces, for this grand ceremony which represents an annual occasion eagerly awaited by everyone since the start of the school year. He added that the presence of His Excellency reiterates the attention he gives to building armed forces and security forces capable of fulfilling their noble duties to the fullest.
He stated that the challenges facing armies lie in their ability to keep up with the continuous changes in the field of war and everything related to the combat readiness of the forces.He added that, according to the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic to modernize and develop our defense and security system, the National School of Staff has been transformed into a National College of Leadership and Staff by decree No. 71 issued in 2022, which embodies a truly pivotal transformation in the college’s course by adopting a program that combines military training with academic education to ensure that the training responds to the requirements of modern knowledge.
He stated that the challenges facing armies lie in their ability to keep up with the continuous changes in the battlefield and everything related to the combat readiness of the forces.He added that, according to the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic to modernize and develop our defense and security system, the National School of Staff has been transformed into a National College of Command and Staff by Decree No. 71 issued in 2022, which embodies a true and decisive transformation in the college’s course by adopting a program that combines military training with academic education to ensure that the training responds to the requirements of modern knowledge.
It is important to note that the military formation at the college is divided into two separate courses: the first is a general staff course lasting nine months, and the second is a special staff course established in 2020, aimed at training officers from the categories of accredited officers, doctors, and engineers.
Regarding the academic education that has been integrated into the college program, he stated that it began implementation in cooperation with the University of Nouakchott since November 2022, allowing college graduates to obtain a Master’s Level 1 certificate in international relations, specializing in defense and security.
For his part, the spokesperson for the trainee officers, Colonel Abdul Rahman Al-Muqbil, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expressed their heartfelt thanks to Mauritania, both government and people, and their gratitude to the National Defense College for all they have done to help them achieve this result, which will light their path throughout their professional lives.
As for the spokesperson of the batch, Captain Mamadou Idrissa Kan, from Mauritania, he expressed on behalf of this batch of 87 officers his deep gratitude to this college and through it to Mauritania for the effort made to train them well and excellently on both military and academic levels.
The ceremony was attended by: the President of the National Assembly, the President of the Constitutional Council, the President of the Democratic Opposition Foundation, the Minister and Secretary-General of the Presidency, the Minister in charge of the Office of the President, the two advisors to the Presidency, several members of the government, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, the leaders of the military and security services, the Governor of Nouakchott West, the President of the Nouakchott Region, the Executive Secretary of the Sahel States Group, several ambassadors of brotherly and friendly countries accredited in Nouakchott, and some military attachés.
