The Skanderbeg Military University () was an educational entity of the

Albanian People's Army The Albanian People's Army ( sq, Ushtria Popullore Shqiptare, UPSh) was the national army of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1990. Like all other Communist states, the UPSh was subjected to the rule of the Party of Labour ...

and the

Albanian Armed Forces The Albanian Armed Forces ( sq, Forcat e Armatosura të Republikës së Shqipërisë (FARSH)) are the military of Albania and were formed after the declaration of independence in 1912. Today, it consists of the General Staff, the Albanian Land ...

. It was the oldest military education institution in the

People's Socialist Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

History

Communist era

It was established on 8 November 1944 as a low-level training course for officers of the National Liberation Movement. This was during the

German occupation of Albania The German occupation of Albania occurred between 1943 and 1944 during World War II. Before the armistice between Italy and the Allied armed forces on 8 September 1943, Albania had been in a de jure personal union with and was de facto under t ...

. It was housed in the buildings of the engineering department built by the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

. In January 1945, it moved to the capital of

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, months after the Liberation of Albania. It moved to the buildings of the Military Department N. 1105 in Tirana, on what is now Myslim Keta Street. The first commander of this school was Lieutenant Colonel Irfan Peshtani. By order of the Ministry of People's Defense, the school accepted students from the Skanderbeg Military High School and from the districts of Albania. On 8 January 1949, it was renamed to the Enver Hoxha United School of Officers (). Graduates received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

and became commissioned as

lieutenants A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. Many have led higher military structures as

generals A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED On ...

. From 1972-1983, it passed to the three-year system, and in 1984, it switched to a four-year higher education system. On 22-23 February 1991, a meeting of hard-line communists took place at the school, sparking rumors of a possible

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

. As a result, a pro-democracy crowd gathered outside the school, prompting soldiers to shoot into the crowd below, killing four. A member of the

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

was also killed amidst the tensions.

Post-1991

In 1995 the United High School of Officers reverted to the 3-year system and was renamed the Skanderbeg Military Academy (). In October 2003, the Skanderbeg Military University was established by merging into a single institution the Skanderbeg Military University, the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

and the Aviation Academy. In September 2004, it consisted of 2 faculties: * the Faculty of Economics * the Department of Business Management and the Faculty of Electronic Engineering Today, the Center for Foreign Languages and the Faculty of General Education of the Armed Forces Academy come from the remnants of the former Skanderbeg Military Academy.

Notable alumni and faculty

Bujar Nishani Bujar Nishani (; 29 September 1966 – 28 May 2022) was an Albanian politician. He served as President of Albania from 24 July 2012 to 24 July 2017. Nishani was the youngest person to have been chosen as president of Albania, taking office at t ...

, 7th

President of Albania The president of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Shqipërisë), officially styled the President of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and the representa ...

Kiço Mustaqi Kiço Mustaqi (22 March 1938 – 24 January 2019) was a former Albanian general and politician of the Albanian Party of Labour. He served as Chief of the General Staff of Albanian People's Army, the last Minister of Defence of the communist er ...

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

in 1991 *

Alfred Moisiu Alfred Spiro Moisiu (; born 1 December 1929) is a former Albanian military general, diplomat and politician. He was the President of Albania from 2002 to 2007. He is the oldest son of Albanian Army general, Spiro Moisiu. Early life, education an ...

, 5th

* Iliriana Sulkuqi, Albanian poet *Drini Nikolla, Deputy Director of Defense Planning

References

{{Reflist Military academies of Albania Educational institutions established in 1944 1944 establishments in Albania