05.06.2025 15:40
At the Kuleli Campus of the Foreign Languages School affiliated with the National Defense University, military academy students receive their foreign language education in their first year of a five-year program under the same roof for the Army, Air Force, and Navy. For the first time in the history of the Republic, students from the three branches of the military are training together in the same classrooms here.
Kuleli Military High School, one of the long-established military training institutions in history, now serves as the Kuleli Campus of the National Defense University School of Foreign Languages. This historic building, previously used as Kuleli Military High School, now has a new mission. Students from the air, land, and naval military academies within the National Defense University begin their education with a foreign language preparatory program in the first year. The first year of the five-year military academy education is planned as foreign language training. In this context, the cadets receiving preparatory class education spend this 36-week process at the Kuleli Campus.
COMMON EDUCATION PROCESS UNDER THE SAME ROOF
A total of 7 different languages are taught in the preparatory education provided at the School of Foreign Languages. After completing this process, students continue their education in their respective military academies according to their branches. Thus, for the first time, air, land, and naval students experience a common education process under the same roof. This education, provided in the historical atmosphere of Kuleli, aims to equip future officers with strong communication skills in the regions they serve and to raise them in a disciplined manner.
Providing information about the studies and training, Prof. Dr. Faruk Uçar, the Director of the MSU School of Foreign Languages, stated, "Since October 10, 2022, foreign language education has been jointly provided to the preparatory class students of the Army and Air Force Academies at the Kuleli Campus, which we are currently in, under the National Defense University, the highest educational institution of the Ministry of National Defense. Additionally, our school also provides foreign language education to guest military students from our friendly and brotherly countries, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Azerbaijan."
FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION FOR MILITARY AND CIVIL PERSONNEL
The international student profile adds cultural diversity and strengthens friendship ties in the educational environment of the school. Under the roof of the School of Foreign Languages, foreign language education is provided to military and civil personnel affiliated with the Ministry of National Defense at the Courses Directorate located in the Maltepe Campus of Istanbul and the Teaching Coordination Directorate located in Güzelyalı, Izmir. At the Turkish Language Teaching Center (TÖMER), Turkish language education is provided to military personnel from friendly and allied countries. Military academy students receiving education at our school undergo intensive language training in English, German, French, Persian, Arabic, Russian, and Greek for 36 weeks, with 26 class hours per week. Our goal at the end of the training is to equip students with the four basic skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking in the target language and to ensure that they effectively use these skills in their future professional lives. Thanks to the education provided at our school, our students not only develop their language skills but also enhance their military competencies and physical capacities, achieving a holistic development in line with the educational goals set by the National Defense University," he said.
Colonel Cemil Yavuz, Head of the Regional Languages Department, stated that education is also provided in regional languages in addition to Western languages, saying, "The developments in our region necessitate the Turkish Armed Forces to train officers who are proficient in the languages of neighboring countries. In this context, a certain number of students are being educated in Arabic, Persian, Russian, and Greek, taking into account the current and future needs of the Army, Navy, and Air Forces. After completing their education here, students continue their language training at the Military Academy for four years. The goal of education in regional languages is to ensure that every cadet reaches a B1+ level according to the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages upon graduating from the Military Academy with the rank of lieutenant," he said.
"WE ARE AWARE OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO KNOW A FOREIGN LANGUAGE"
Esma Nur Sarıkamış, a student in the preparatory class of the Air Force Academy, stated, "We are the steel wings of the blue skies; pilots serving in the Air Force must be well-trained in every aspect. We are aware of how important it is to know a foreign language in the duties we will perform after becoming officers." Enes Emircan Dertlioğlu, a student in the preparatory class of the Army Academy, said, "The Turkish Land Forces set an example for other armies with their superior achievements in many regions of the world, both within NATO and in peacekeeping operations. The need for officers who can effectively use different foreign languages is increasing every day. We are preparing ourselves in the best way for the international missions we will undertake in the future with the foreign language education we receive here."