During the ceremony held on this occasion, Minister of Defense Niko Peleshi described the Armed Forces Academy as one of the priority projects of the Ministry of Defense that is advancing in cooperation with the strategic partner, the USA.

Peleshi congratulated the students and teaching staff wishing them a smooth year, while also announcing the new investment being made in support of the Armed Forces Academy.

“We are working on the construction of the new campus of the Armed Forces Academy with all the parameters. The master plan is being completed, where the Support Battalion is today; we have completed the procedures for concluding the contract and starting the construction of the first building. I am convinced that it will be the best, the most beautiful and the most complete project in the region”, said Peleshi.

In the new security situation, according to Minister Peleshi, raising the level of scientific research is also a challenge.

“We want to make Academy a real vanguard of scientific thought, knowledge, and character. We intend to prepare here the excellence of character, but also of Albanian knowledge, to give the best examples and model of true patriots with deeds and not with words. We are building the Innovation Center, which will be functional very soon”, stated the minister.

According to Minister Peleshi, technology should be the key word of the restructuring of the Armed Forces Academy, mentioning here the fact that in a few months Albania will have a fleet of state-of-the-art drones for the military, but also the civilian world, which will be used as resource information about various services of the country’s institutions.

Minister Peleshi said that, within the Armed Forces there has started since 1 year ago the cyber security master’s program, a discipline that has become current, also due to the cyber attack that affected our country.

“We must contribute to the cyber security system, as part of national security, and we as a military education institution by producing experts, specialists in this field. We have announced 7 vacancies for cyber security specialists and I am glad that there is a lot of interest”, Minister Peleshi said, adding that the government has approved special salaries for this sector.

At the start of the new academic year, the Minister of Defense also presented the new commander of the Armed Forces Academy, Brigadier General Bilbil Bitri.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Arben Kingji, students, trainees and the teaching staff of the Armed Forces Academy were also present at the organized ceremony. /r.e/p.s./