NL-ARMS Netherlands Annual Review of Military Studies 2003 O;cer Education The Road to Athens! Harry Kirkels Wim Klinkert René Moelker (eds.) The cover image of this edition of NL-ARMS is a photograph of a fragment of the uni- que ‘eye tiles’, discovered during a restoration of the Castle of Breda, the home of the RNLMA. They are thought to have constituted the entire floor space of the Grand North Gallery in the Palace of Henry III (1483-1538). They are attributed to the famous Antwerp artist Guido de Savino (?-1541). The eyes are believed to symbolize vigilance and just government. NL-Arms is published under the auspices of the Dean of the Royal Netherlands Military Academy (RNLMA (KMA)). For more information about NL-ARMS and/or additional copies contact the editors, or the Academy Research Centre of the RNLMA (KMA), at adress below: Royal Netherlands Military Academy (KMA) - Academy Research Centre P.O. Box 90.002 4800 PA Breda Phone: +31 76 527 3319 Fax: +31 76 527 3322 NL-ARMS 1997 The Bosnian Experience J.L.M. Soeters, J.H. Rovers [eds.] 1998 The Commander’s Responsibility in Difficult Circumstances A.L.W. Vogelaar, K.F. Muusse, J.H. Rovers [eds.] 1999 Information Operations J.M.J. Bosch, H.A.M. Luiijf, A.R. Mollema [eds.] 2000 Information in Context H.P.M. Jägers, H.F.M. Kirkels, M.V. Metselaar, G.C.A. Steenbakkers [eds.] 2001 Issued together with Volume 2000 2002 Civil-Military Cooperation: A Marriage of Reason M.T.I. Bollen, R.V. Janssens, H.F.M. Kirkels, J.L.M. Soeters [eds.] 2003 Officer Education - The road to Athens! H.F.M. Kirkels, W. Klinkert, R. Moelker [eds.] Typography & Design: Rop Willems, AVC KMA Printed and bound by: Haveka BV, Alblasserdam, NL ISSN: 0166-9982 Contents Introduction . .5 Wim Klinkert, Harry Kirkels and René Moelker θαλαττα! θ αλαττα! –The sea! The sea! . .9 Victor Enthoven Where duty may lead us . .31 Rob Sinterniklaas The Indian Military Academy . .45 Wim Klinkert Dutch dilemmas. .57 Petra Groen & Wim Klinkert1 The last knights . .81 René Moelker The German model – between past and future . .101 Dieter Kollmer Restructuring the Belgian Royal Military Academy . .121 Philippe Manigart Educating peacekeepers . .137 Ellen Bleumink, René Moelker and Ad Vogelaar The Royal Marechaussee . .157 Frans Crul and Hans Leijtens The tension between management science and military science . .165 Jan Oonincx Athens versus Sparta . .177 Karl W. Haltiner About the authors . .193 Introduction Wim Klinkert, Harry Kirkels and René Moelker The year 2003 is a very special year for the Royal Netherlands Military Academy (RNLMA) at Breda. The oldest and largest officer education in the Netherlands has existed for 175 years and this event coincides with far-reaching changes in the educational programme. These changes are necessary to receive accreditation as an academic Bachelor education. A jubilee and an educational reorganization are both excellent reasons for a reflection on the specific characteristics and problems of insti- tutions for officer education that aim for more than military-technical skills. This volume of NL-ARMS discusses a number of aspects related to officer education and training as they have developed over time at home and abroad. A closer inspection of both the field of tension between science and ‘the military’ and role of values and norms inherent to the officer profession lies at the heart of book. However much it may have changed since the end of the Cold War, the elements that make the officer profession so special are still very much in evidence. Officers are not made at university - in Athens - nor are they solely shaped through the hardships of military practice - in Sparta. Their specific knowledge and skills as warrior, diplomat and manager can only be acquired in an environment and structure designed for the purpose. Institutions for officer education have pursued and are still pursuing this ideal, and the present volume attempts to contribute to that quest. The modern military policymaker can enhance the quality of his decisions by employing his knowledge of considerations and decisions made in the past and traditions cherished by institutions. Enthoven points at the place and importance of a getting a feel of the maritime environment in the education of naval officers. This is where for a large part lies the heart of that profession. How did this element of nau- tical training claim or receive its place over time? Is this one of the key elements in the education of naval officers? Sinterniklaas describes the phenomenon of the ‘second way’ for us. Over time the Services have used different sources to educate their officers from. As it appears, an academic education was not always necessary, which opened the possibility for a second way towards the officer profession. What were the arguments that formed the founda- tion of this system? What does its existence tell us about the armed forces’ view on the necessity to have the Athenian as well as the Spartan element represented in all its officers? The contributions Klinkert & Groen and Klinkert, too, are historical in character. Research into the history of the Dutch officer education, on which these articles are based, shows that the combination of character building, knowledge and military skills 5 forms the core of officer education. The three elements were rarely in balance, though. Knowledge has won ground - an advance that was begun almost a century ago. Character building has proved to be the most intractable of them all. The boarding school system and the harsh military order and discipline were the means employed in the nineteenth century. Nowadays, the Cadets’ Corps, in cooperation with military leadership of the RNLMA, plays an important role in it. Unity of thinking and effort in this area is difficult to attain, especially when the freedom of cadets and the diversity of their social backgrounds have increased so strongly. Attempts to establish other institutions for officer education besides the Royal Netherlands Military Academy, have only been successful for the second way described by Sinterniklaas . An education of its own for the colonial army, the subject of Klinkert’s contribution, and for the air force, as a separate Service, has never been realized, because of the costs but also because of the argument of unity in the officer corps. Moelker discusses the role of values and norms in the educational environment as a basis for future performance in the officer corps. The RNLMA holds a rather exceptional position here in that much is left to the cadets themselves. Outward appearance, codes of behaviour, systems of sanctioning - on the one hand, they are residues of a past when almost all officers derived from the highest social layers of the population, and on the other hand, they have been benchmarks of behaviour and distinction to this day. In times when the behaviour of officers is more and more assessed by ethical standards, aspects of this special element in officer education regain importance. Understanding and insight in one’s own situation grows by comparing oneself with others. The neighbouring countries of the Netherlands have entirely different military histories. A small nation, like the Netherlands neutral for a long time, and a big power with a very prominent military past, have given substance to their officer education in different ways. Kollmer , in his analysis of the German model, points out that the balance between Sparta and Athens has a tendency to gravitate towards the former. Character and military skills, for historical reasons, hold a prominent place in German military thinking. Of great importance is the special organization of the German post-WWII officer education. Such a breach with the past is extremely rare in European history. With its innere Führung and close ties with civilian universities the German education has found its own, unique path. A military academy where the aspirant officers live and work together is a thing of the past for Germany. The Belgian system is closer to the Dutch. Manigart points out the essential difference of the Brussels academy, where, in contrast to Breda, a completly civilian- academic education for all Services is offered. In doing so, it seems a definite choice has been made for Athens, without doing away with military skills and character development. Apart from the condition that in the Netherlands the officer education 6 will have to fit the four-year straightjacket, it is questionable whether this is the Dutch model of the future. Past and foreign experiences - they are starting points for acquiring a better insight in the problems that are inherent in officer education. The last four contributions extrapolate the present new developments to the future. Thus, Bleumink, Moelker and Vogelaar discuss the specific requirements that officers have to meet in Peace Support Operations. The nature of these PSO can be diametrically opposed to the traditional task concept of the military. The complexity of the environment and the repercussions stemming from decisions taken at a low level, make working in such a context more than challenging. Almost as a matter of course this requires a much broader academic education. But should Athens surpass Sparta? As mentioned before, this seems to be the trend in the Netherlands. Another modern development is the converging of military and police tasks. There are essential differences between the two, but a new and innovative step has been taken with the choice to make the Royal Marechaussee a separate Service and to entrust its ini- tial officer education to the RNLMA. Crul and Leijtens show how the Marechaussee positioned itself over time and how its tasks changed. Was the choice for the other Services instead of the police organization a self-evident one? And does this choice sym- bolize the broader range of tasks for the modern armed forces as a whole? Oonincx takes sides in the discussion on whether the RNLMA educates managers or warriors.