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In der zweiten Jahreshälfte 2021 haben erstmals auch Offiziersanwärter der United States Naval Academy (USNA) ein Auslandssemester an der Militärakademie absolviert. Gleichzeitig waren zwei Fähnriche des Jahrganges „Freiherr Lenk von Wolfsberg“ zur Ausbildung in Annapolis. Die Basis für diesen Kadettenaustausch bildet das am 11. September 2020 unterzeichnete Kooperationsabkommen.

Im nachstehenden Bericht stellen die beiden US Navy-Offiziersanwärter sich selbst vor, präsentieren ihre Akademie und berichten von ihrem Auslandssemester in Österreich:

My name is Midshipman 2/C Mark Andrus and I am honored to be one of the first two midshipmen to exchange with Austria’s Theresan Military Academy. I grew up in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, and currently spend most of my time at the academy in Annapolis Maryland. I study Political Science and Spanish and hope to eventually pursue a career in foreign relations and international policy. I want to graduate in 2023 as a Navy Pilot and fly maritime reconnaissance aircraft. I have trained on the USS Gridley DDG 101 and visited many different naval stations.

I am Midshipman 1/C Tristan Fujimura. I have lived my entire life in Maryland and joined the Navy after high school in 2018. I am a political science major and am most interested (especially after this semester in Austria) in international relations. I will be commissioning into the Navy as an Officer in May of 2022 as a Navy pilot. I hope to fly off of aircraft carriers in my future. Most midshipmen have no prior military experience. Therefore, we use summer training to learn more about all the opportunities the Navy has to offer. Personally, I have had the opportunity to navigate and control the Naval Academy’s patrol boats to various cities such as New York City and Norfolk. I have also trained on the LHA-6 America for four weeks in San Diego. My favorite training has been a program called Powered Flight in which midshipmen fly planes and eventually solo within three weeks

Die United States Naval Academy

Founded in 1845, the United States Naval Academy sits on the Severn River in the heart of Annapolis. Annapolis is an old colonial-style town that serves as the capital of Maryland. For reference, Annapolis is approximately 45 minutes east of Washington D.C.

As the undergraduate college of the United States naval service, the Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers of competence, character, and compassion in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The mission of the Naval Academy is “To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.”

The campus

The land for which the Naval Academy stands is actually artificial and was created with the specific purpose of developing future Naval Officers. Currently, the campus is approximately 338 acres (Anm.: 136 Hektar) consisting of buildings for classes, workout facilities, offices, the dormitory, and more.

The Naval Academy has many spectacles for which people travel throughout the U.S. to see. For example, the Naval Academy has one of the largest dormitories in the world. This dormitory is named after George Bancroft, and it is the home of approximately 4.400 midshipmen. In addition, our chapel contains one of the largest organ consoles in the world. Tour groups are constantly guided through the Academy as it contains historic buildings and relics from past wars. In addition, the Naval Academy is the resting place for the first U.S. Naval Commander, John Paul Jones.

The Brigade of midshipmen

The Naval Academy is comprised of 4.400 students which have the rank of midshipmen on active duty in the U.S. Navy. The four class years, starting at 4/C and then rising from 3/C to 2/C to 1/C respectively, are composed of about 1.100 midshipmen each. The entire student body is called the brigade of midshipmen and is divided into 2 regiments, 6 battalions, and 30 companies.
Each company contains around 140 midshipmen from each class. The company is the first point of contact for each midshipman and their needs. The 1/C in each company take on leadership roles and assume the responsibility for jobs such as platoon or squad leader, company commander, company logistics or safety officer, and much more. They also can take roles that ensure midshipmen are succeeding physically, militarily, and academically.

Academics & Training

While at the academy, midshipmen all go through a rigorous curriculum teaching leadership, government and law, basic sea navigation and ship handling, and ethics. Additionally, each student must take standard science courses such as chemistry, physics, thermodynamics, and electrical engineering. On top of this, midshipmen are required to study a specific major (usually a specific science or engineering) and maintain a strong knowledge of professional topics like the ships, aircraft, and weapons systems used by the Navy and Marine Corps.

On top of academics, midshipmen are required to meet physical fitness requirements. This is monitored through standardized fitness tests taken twice a year. All midshipmen are required to play a sport. The Naval Academy participates in the U.S. Patriot League in many sports such as soccer, volleyball, baseball, swimming, and track and field among other sports. If not on a Division I team, midshipmen join athletic clubs and club teams which meet for two hours a day after class.

Finally, a midshipman must be militarily well rounded. A strong emphasis is put on this during the first, or plebe year. At this time, midshipmen are required to undergo trainings during the weekends and weekdays when not in class. These may include obstacle courses, morning workouts before school during the weekdays, and professional trainings, like courtesy training, or current events during lunch. All midshipmen are also required to know a base standard of professional knowledge which creates a foundation for understanding the platforms the Navy uses and the areas they operate in.

Summer Trainings are also an integral part of a midshipman's time at the academy. Each summer, midshipmen take part in different mandatory and voluntary trainings. The first summer is named “plebe summer” and encompasses the first seven weeks of new incoming midshipmen´s academy careers. This focuses on basic training and military behavior for new officer cadets. The following summers are split up into four blocks. During these times, midshipmen spend time on active navy warships, with flight squadrons, and work with marine platoons. These are a unique and formative time for midshipmen as they help steer midshipmen into finding a warfare community that suits them when they graduate.

Semester Study Abroad Program

The Semester Study Abroad Program is an amazing opportunity allowing midshipmen to go to one of over a dozen partnered nations around the world. This program serves to embed midshipmen in different cultures and be surrounded by a foreign environment. In addition to learning how partnered academies operate and experiencing their similarities and differences, this additionally allows midshipmen to develop as an officer in a multinational setting. The U.S. Naval Academy greatly values having diverse methods of problem-solving and sending midshipmen abroad helps achieve this goal.

After graduation

Midshipmen attend the academy for four years, graduating with a bachelor of science degree and commission as an ensign in the Navy or a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Naval Academy graduates serve a minimum of five years in the Navy or Marine Corps. After graduation, they go on to pursue jobs in a wide variety of career paths across the U.S. Many go on to continue their education at other universities and continue to reach the highest civil and military positions in the U.S. at home and abroad.

Conclusion

"I have greatly valued this abroad experience as it has helped me better understand the European view on common security and the challenges that Europe faces. I am grateful for all of the amazing people I have met here from the Austrian officers and cadets to the other international students. They have helped me better understand an outside view of the United States and a new inner view of myself. It is important for exchanges like these to continue because it helps midshipmen and cadets gain a more worldly outlook on the world and understand the struggles of others."
Midshipman 2/C Mark Andrus