The Evelpidon Military Academy (EMA), also known as the Hellenic Military Academy has been named as one of the ten most prestigious military institutes by the web based education portal Online College.
Established in 1828, the EMA is the oldest institution providing tertiary education in all of Greece. The institute provides military officer education and training for the officers of the Hellenic Army.
According to the Online College Portal, the diversified and solid education provided at the EMA means that a sizeable part of its alumni serves as the military officers in the Hellenic army, in addition to the sizeable representation in various other fields like science, literature, engineering, and education. The report also notes that in addition to the officer cadets from Greece, the student body includes several overseas students as well.
Originally founded at the city of Nafplio by Greek diplomat Ioannis Kapodistrias, the institute was forced to shift its location several times in the past. In 1834, the Academy was shifted to the island of Aegina, some 17 miles to the South of Athens, only to be relocated again in 1837 to the city of Piraeus in Attica region. In 1854, the location was again shifted to Central Athens, only to be moved to Kypseli in 1857. Currently the Academy is functioning from south-east Athens.
Famous alumni from the institute includes Constantine II of Greece, Tsigantes Christodoulos, Stylianos Petropoulakis, Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, George II of Greece, Prince Alexander of Greece, Ioannis Metaxas, and Prince Andrew of Greece. 9 officers from the EMA lost their lives, while resisting the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. EMA started accepting female cadets from 1991 onward.
Field training forms an important part of the curriculum at the EMA. Many of the field exercises are conducted with co-operation from the Hellenic Army, and the other branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces. 50% of the curriculum is made up of theory classes, while applied military tactics cover another 38%. The remaining 12% is covered by track events and physical training. Brigadier George Arvanitis is serving as the current commander of the EMA. (source)
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