Máximo Gómez Command Academy is a military institution of the

Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (; FAR) are the military forces of Cuba. They include Cuban Revolutionary Army, Revolutionary Army, Cuban Revolutionary Navy, Revolutionary Navy, Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force, Revolutionary A ...

. The academy, which is located to the east of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Máximo Gómez Máximo Gómez y Báez (November 18, 1836 – June 17, 1905) was a general of Dominican origin in the Cuban Wars of Independence (1868-78 and 1895–98). He was known for his controversial Scorched earth tactics, which entailed dynamiting pa ...

, who was a 19th century Cuban independence fighter. It was founded in 1963 and is under the orbit of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR), whose employees are trained by the school. The command academy has been decorated with many military and state awards such as the Order of

Antonio Maceo Lt. General José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales (June 14, 1845December 7, 1896) was a Cuban general and second-in-command of the Cuban Liberation Army, Cuban Army of Independence. Fellow Cubans gave Maceo the nickname "The Bronze Tit ...

and the Order of Carlos J. Finlay.

Overview

The command academy was founded in July 1963 in the western La Habana Province as the successor to the El Morro Academy, which operated under the former Batista regime. In the 1980s, attendance at the school became an exclusive for those who were preparing to be assigned to the FAR General Staff. In the 1990s, a period when the FAR increased its influence in the management of Cuba's economy, the academy introduced civilian economists who were hired by the MINFAR to spread and teach the economic reforms that they favored. During that same period, the academy also grew increasingly in importance, eventually becoming second in precedence next to the recently established National Defense College, which was modeled on the Canadian RMC and the

Canadian Forces College The Canadian Forces College (CFC) is a military staff college for senior and general officers of the Canadian Armed Forces. It provides graduate-level military education courses designed to develop leadership abilities within the Canadian Forces ...

. Although organized for senior MINFAR officials, civilians who work for the government and/or the

Communist Party of Cuba The Communist Party of Cuba (, PCC) is the sole ruling party of Cuba. It was founded on 3 October 1965 as the successor to the United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, which was in turn made up of the 26th of July Movement and Popu ...

also are invited to attend the courses.

Curriculum

The school's curriculum is comparable to courses offered by the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

or the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

. The main courses that are taught at the academy are: * Specialties in Command and Tactical Staff (1st Degree) * Specialties in Command and Tactical Staff (2nd Degree) * Specialties in Command and Tactical Staff (3rd Degree)

References

{{coord, 23.174, -82.247, type:edu_region:CU, display=title 1963 establishments in Cuba Military command schools Military academies of Cuba