Israel, US navies to launch cadet exchange program The Jerusalem Post, May 3, 2017, Anna Ahronheim
The Israel Navy has signed an agreement with the United States Naval Academy for a semester exchange program, the first time such an agreement has been reached.
According to a senior navy officer, several cadets in the IDF’s prestigious Naval Officers Course will go to the United States at the beginning of next year, and several American cadets will arrive in Israel to spend several months of training and study alongside Israeli soldiers in the Naval Officers Course at the University of Haifa and to participate in cultural and language immersion programs.
“We are doing this program to share information and knowledge,” the senior officer told The Jerusalem Post at the Haifa Naval Base. “We usually do these types of programs with higher-ranking officers, but we have decided to have lower-ranking officers participate.
“It’s easier to break barriers, including language barriers, because of our profession. There are no borders in the sea,” he added.
At almost two-and-a-half years long, the Naval Officers Course is one of the most intensive programs in the IDF. At the end of the course, each graduate receives the rank of lieutenant junior grade, at which officers are responsible for commanding naval vessels, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Haifa. Graduates are committed to 61 months of additional military service.
The program in the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland, is four-years long, and graduates of the course receive bachelor of science degrees and commissions as ensigns in the navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates are committed to at least five years in the Navy or Marine Corps.
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http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Israel-US-navies-to-launch-cadet-exchange-program-489682
