The Royal Military Academy signed the Erasmus Charter and is actively developing its Erasmus network in the framework of EMILYO. Each year, the RMA sends and welcomes cadets from all over Europe. Those cadets are travelling in and out for an international semester, a master thesis or a short exchange (common modules).
The European initiative for the exchange of young officers inspired by Erasmus, often referred to as "military Erasmus" in the media, is an initiative undertaken by the European Union Member States aimed at developing the exchanges between armed forces of future military officers as well as their teachers and instructors during their initial education and training. Given the initiative is implemented by the Member States on a purely voluntary basis, their autonomy as regards to military training is not compromised.
The implementation of the initiative is driven by the key idea that exchanges of young officers during their initial training form the cornerstone for the emergence of increased interoperability and common culture, needed for European security and defence. An Implementation Group was created in February 2009 as a task-oriented configuration of the European Security and Defence College’s Executive Academic Board.
This Implementation Group meets four times a year in Brussels and abroad and helps the development and coordination of cadet and staff mobility.
Cadets have the possibility to participate in short exchanges lasting from several days to several weeks. Those exchanges can involve a course (i.e. law of armed conflict or common security and defence policy modules) or field and military training (i.e. platoon leader winter camp or survival camp).
Staff are also eligible for common modules: they can go abroad as teachers or as trainers.
Cadets have the opportunity to participate in an exchange scheme and spend one semester at a partner institution. Exchange students remain enrolled at RMA while spending part of their study period abroad. When coming back and having passed the required exams, cadets are granted a certain number of ECTS credits equalling those of the RMA curriculum.
Cadets have the opportunity to go abroad as part of their thesis research. This may include working in a laboratory, in a foreign research centre, participating to seminars, conducting surveys and so on…
A promotor from RMA and from the partner institution will lead and coach the cadet during their research.
International Office:
rma-international-office@mil.be
Erasmus Inter-Institutional Coordinator:
Commandant Matthias Bruneel
matthias.bruneel@mil.be