Samenvatting

The article first describes the past and present of the academic education at the Belgian Royal Military Academy, a university institution charged with the common basic education of career officers of all Services. It then explains the fundamental restructuring process that is now underway, i.e. the decision to follow the recommendations of the so-called Sorbonne-Bologna declarations and to implement a Bachelor/Master structure. This process can be seen as a logical consequence of two independent developments: the advent of postmodern military organizations and the gradual harmonization of higher (civilian) education systems in the European Union. The third and final section of the article analyzes the socio-demographic characteristics of the present students body and their motivations to enter the Academy and begin a military career.