Royal Activities
Tuesday 31 July 2018

HM the King Chairs in Tetouan Oath-taking Ceremony of Graduate Officers of Major Military and Paramilitary Schools

HM the King Chairs in Tetouan Oath-taking Ceremony of Graduate Officers of Major Military and Paramilitary Schools

HM King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of general Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, chaired, Tuesday afternoon at the Mechouar Square in the Royal Palace of Tetouan, the oath-taking ceremony of 1,889 officers who graduated from various military and paramilitary institutes and schools, and officers who were promoted, including 294 women-officers.

HM the King has named this year's Group of Graduates "Othman bin Affan".

After saluting the national flag as the national anthem was playing, the Sovereign delivered the following address:

"Praise be to God,

May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin

Honorable Officers,

It gives me pleasure, as the Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, to chair the oath-taking ceremony for this new group of graduates of security and military schools and academies.

I am proud of the modern, quality, integrated training offered you and of the high-level skills and competence you have acquired.

I have always attached special importance to the in-service training of all components of our Armed Forces as well as to their well-being so that they may continue to carry out their national duty, preserve security and stability and safeguard the nation’s unity and safety.

I have decided to name this Group of Graduates after the esteemed Companion Othman bin Affan, the third orthodox Caliph, given his erudition, piety and steadfast commitment to principles.

I urge you to live up to the values embodied by this Companion, particularly those of loyalty, courage and probity, and to remain ever loyal to your eternal motto: God, the Country, the King.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh."

Following the oath-taking ceremony, HM the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of general Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, reviewed the detachments of the graduated officers.

The sworn-in year group includes 539 officers from major military schools, including 99 women-officers.

These are:

- The Royal Military Academy

- The Air Royal School

- The Royal Naval School.

- The Royal School of Military Health Services

- Training Centre of Social Services of the FAR

Added to them, 413 Special Corps officers and newly-promoted officers from the ranks of the Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie and the Auxiliary Forces, including 12 women-officers.

In addition, there are 937 reserve officers from the major paramilitary schools, including 183 women-officers, who graduated from the following schools:

– The Mohammedia School of Engineers.

– The Royal Institute of Territorial Administration.

– The Royal Institute of Police.

– The National School of Forest Engineers.

– The Customs Training Center.

Afterwards, HM the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the FAR, promoted several chief officers to the ranks of General and Colonel-major, and authorized the dissemination of the promotion board of FAR staff for the year 2018.

These nominations take place every year on the occasion of the commemoration of the Glorious Throne Day and are part of the usual promotion of staff in FAR's different components (land, air, sea, royal gendarmerie).

This royal gesture reflects the high solicitude of HM the King, the constant attention granted by the Sovereign to the family of the Royal Armed Forces and his determination to ensure directly its moral and material well-being.

HM the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the FAR, received on July 29 in Al Hoceima, Lieutenant General Abdelfettah Louarak, Inspector general of FAR, chairman of FAR Promotion Committee, who submitted to the Sovereign the conclusions and results related to the promotion of FAR's staff.

During this audience, chairman of FAR Promotion Committee expressed to HM the King his deep gratitude and pride over the solicitude and Royal Instructions that have guided the work of the Committee on this promotion board during all its phases.

The Sovereign approved the promotion board of FAR's staff and gave his orders to convey his congratulations to the newly-promoted personnel. HM the King also urged the Royal Armed Forces to continue fulfill the lofty mission entrusted to them, loyal to the Sacred Motto: "God, the Country, the King".

The oath-taking ceremony took place in the presence of head of government, the speakers of the two houses of parliament, HM the King’s advisors, government members, senior officers of the General Staff of the FAR, foreign military attachés accredited in Rabat, as well as other civilian and military prominent figures.

MAP 31 July 2018