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El Salvador EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND RULES OF CONDUCT
Military Schools
Aspiring officers for all three services completed the fouryear course of the Captain General Gerardo Barrios Military
Academy, graduating with a bachelor's degree and being
commissioned with the rank of second lieutenant. Located a few
miles west of the capital, the academy was the primary source of
commissioned officers in the army, navy, and air force. In 1985 a
shortage of officers forced the academy to begin operating on an
emergency status that required the curriculum to be reduced to
three years.
Enrollment was limited to unmarried males between the ages of
seventeen and twenty-one who had graduated from high school and
passed competitive entrance examinations. Students spent only
their first year training at the academy. During the rest of the
time, they were attached to various battalions throughout the
country.
Most cadets came from lower-middle-class families; during the
1980s, many came from areas of heavy guerrilla activity. Fewer
than 10 percent of the enrolled cadets were sons of military
officers. The academy also trained cadets from other Central
American countries. In the late 1980s, it usually had a student
body of about 225 cadets, with about 100 to 125 candidates
entering each year. Nevertheless, a tradition of strict, even
brutal, discipline ensured a first-year drop-out rate of 35 to 40
percent, and only 10 to 20 percent of each class graduated. Under
this system, loyalty to classmates was particularly strong.
Academy graduates who elected to serve in the navy or air
force received additional specialized training before being
transferred to those services. For example, an officer who
enlisted in the Salvadoran Air Force underwent flight training at
the Military Aviation School (Escuela de Aviacion Militar) or
specialist training at the Specialists' School (Escuela de
Especializacion). Most officer personnel also pursued some
additional training abroad, especially in the United States.
By law Salvadoran Army officers had to attend their own
service schools, including the Command and General Staff School
(Escuela de Mando y Estado Mayor General). This war college
provided courses in advanced military science for officers of the
rank of lieutenant colonel and above and aspiring staff officers.
Regular NCOs were trained at the Noncommissioned Officers School
and at the Arms and Services School (Escuela de Armas y
Servicios--EAS). The EAS provided specialist training for both
officers and other ranks, as well as an advanced six-month course
for field-grade officers. Basic and advanced officer training
were offered at the Armed Forces Military Training Center (Centro
de Entrenamiento Militar de las Fuerzas Armadas--CEMFA), which
was established in La Union in 1984. The military also had a
human rights training program for officers and enlisted
personnel. Most officers pursued additional postgraduate studies
abroad. In the 1980s, many Salvadoran armed forces personnel
received training in other Latin American countries, particularly
Argentina and Chile; at the School of the Americas in Fort
Benning, Georgia; and in Taiwan. In 1983 officers and cadets also
began receiving scholarships from Britain, Belgium, Italy, Spain,
and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).
Data as of November 1988
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