Galedon Military Academy

The Galedon Military Academy (GMA) is one of the oldest military academies in the Draconis Combine, having been founded on Galedon V prior to the Combine's formation. Accepting applications only from Galedon Military District primary school graduates, GMA offers training for all branches of the DCMS but emphasizes intense physical conditioning to a degree not seen in other academies, which has lead to some problems. In fact, even after reforms to dampen down the brutality of the training regime, the death rate among aerospace pilots was such that in 3058 the entire program was in jeopardy of being shut down.

Basic training includes all of the DCMS-required skills in addition to a conditioning regime which can only be described as savage; beatings are not uncommon, while female cadets in particular have been known to receive more abuse from instructors presumably because they require it. Half of a cadet's term will take place on the inhospitable world of Matsuida, where their physical and mental facilities are tested to the limit during long physical competitions and war games. Once cadets being training on their MOS, the overt mistreatment end, though extreme exercises such as free-climbing and hours-long obstacle courses continue. Advanced studies take place at the primary campus which occupies most of Galdeon's Luzon continent; the campus also includes a proving grounds second only to Osaka Fields.

Despite this training regime, a strong loyalty to House Kurita and the GMA exists in each cadet who graduates from the academy, not least because the instructors are quick to punish any infractions. Those who graduate are required to serve at least two years in the 2nd Galedon Regulars, and those who prove themselves in combat often come back to GMA as instructors.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Draconis Combine
• Handbook: House Kurita