Search
Search

MILITARY ACADEMY

The war college debate: a happy resolution?

A new exam to select 82 new officers will be held as per Maurice Slim's wishes, but the approval of results has been suspended for months, in line with Joseph Aoun's demands.

The war college debate: a happy resolution?

Caretaker Culture Minister Mohamad Mortada talking with Army Commander General Joseph Aoun in Yarze, July 10, 2024. (Credit: LAF)

The debate around the officer academy’s recruits has a “happy resolution,” Lebanese style. Caretaker Culture Minister Mohamad Mortada (affiliated with the Amal-Hezbollah alliance) has reportedly managed to settle the disagreement between caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim (affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement) and Army Chief Joseph Aoun over the results of the military school entrance exam.

Under the new agreement, two hundred recruits will be accepted into the academy, per Slim and Aoun’s wishes.

The entrance exam disagreement

The disagreement stemmed from Slim's objection to the results of the officer academy's August 2023 entrance exams, despite their approval by the military council. The caretaker government had authorized the army command to conduct exams to recruit 173 new officers. However, the command only selected 118 candidates from the 800 who took the exams, adhering to the Muslim-Christian parity principle. Slim criticized the head of the military institution for concluding the process, arguing that a new exam should have been held to admit an additional 55 students to meet the target of 173.

Ironically, recent behind-the-scenes negotiations have essentially led to this solution. Sources indicate that during a Cabinet session last Tuesday, Aoun was "firm" in insisting that Slim approve the exam results without further delay. "He also emphasized the urgent need for the army and other military institutions to recruit new personnel," a senior government source reports.

"That's why the Cabinet assigned Mortada to mediate between Slim and Aoun. Both were persuaded by the proposed solution," the source informed L’Orient Le-Jour. This solution entails conducting a new entrance exam to enlist 82 additional officers, complementing the 118 already chosen by the army command. These 200 new officers are expected to commence their training at the military academy in October 2024, as confirmed by credible sources. The Cabinet is scheduled to convene on Thursday to finalize this decision.

Thirty items on the Cabinet's agenda

Thirty items on the Cabinet's agenda

Joseph Aoun's stance

In essence, this is the solution Maurice Slim has advocated since the beginning of this issue, according to sources close to the minister. However, in Yarze, it is also seen as a victory for the army commander in this battle.

Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the army chief “successfully asserted his position, particularly concerning the organization of a new exam based on the criteria used for the 118 officer cadets awaiting official admission to the military school," an anonymous source stated, suggesting Slim aimed to lower admission standards for young officers, a claim disputed by a source close to him.

What prompted Joseph Aoun's change of stance? Sources close to the matter suggest it came after a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. "The army chief will not open the new exam session to recruit 82 new officers until Slim signs off on the results for the 118 officer cadets still pending," this source reports. "He received assurances to this effect from the legislative leader."

"This is a point Joseph Aoun scored against Slim, who wanted to organize an exam specifically for the 55 people who missed out in 2023, something the army chief categorically refused," another source close to the general said to L’Orient Le-Jour.

Sources close to Berri refrain from commenting on these details, stating only that "Berri supports any solution that preserves the interests of the military institution." He also denies the claims circulating in some Hezbollah-affiliated media on Monday, suggesting Aoun's approval of this agreement was contingent on another extension of his term as head of the army until January 2025.

Moratda asserted that Berri "was not aware of the mediation efforts" between Slim and Aoun.

One last significant question remains: what price will the head of the Free Patriotic Movement Gebran Bassil demand in exchange for these guarantees promised by Nabih Berri, with whom he has just restored ties? The real answer will be revealed in the coming months or... during the next presidential term.

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. 

The debate around the officer academy’s recruits has a “happy resolution,” Lebanese style. Caretaker Culture Minister Mohamad Mortada (affiliated with the Amal-Hezbollah alliance) has reportedly managed to settle the disagreement between caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim (affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement) and Army Chief Joseph Aoun over the results of the military school...