Frunze Military Academy

Frunze Military Academy   (Military Academy)
Formation	1918
Headquarters	Moscow, Russia
One of the most prestigious military educational institutions in the Soviet Union

The M. V. Frunze Military Academy, or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze, was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces.

Established in 1918 to train officers for the newly-formed Red Army, the academy is one of the most prestigious military educational institutions in the Soviet Union. At first titled the General Staff Academy of the Red Army, taking on a similar role to its pre-revolutionary predecessor, the Imperial Nicholas Military Academy, it was renamed the Military Academy in 1921 and then the M. V. Frunze Military Academy in 1925, honouring Mikhail Frunze, who had been a commandant of the academy.

It became a higher staff college with the addition of courses for senior command officers in the 1930s, before these were transferred in 1936 to the newly formed Military Academy of the General Staff. By this time many of the Red Army's most senior commanders were graduates of the academy. During the Second World War, large numbers of staff and students were called up to fight. Many won decorations and awards, including 244 Heroes of the Soviet Union, and 18 twice Heroes of the Soviet Union. Training and research at the academy continued throughout the war.

The academy continued to train senior officers for the Soviet Armed Forces after the war, acting as a stepping stone for those tipped for high command before they attended the Military Academy of the General Staff. It was ranked as the most prestigious of all the Soviet military academies, taking officers ranked captain or above for a three-year course of study to prepare them for higher commands. The academy also offered research and postgraduate degrees in various aspects of military studies. Between 1934 and 1988, 722 graduates of the academy were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, while the academy received the Order of Lenin, the Order of Suvorov First Class, and the Order of the October Revolution.

The academy continued to operate after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1998 it was merged with the Malinovsky Military Armoured Forces Academy and the Vystrel officer training courses to form the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

 

Alumni on Wikispooks

Person	Born	Died	Nationality	Summary	Description
Mohamed Farah Aideed	15 December 1934	2 August 1996		Diplomat Spook Soldier	President of Somalia assassinated in office
Mikhail Barsukov	8 November 1947		Soviet Union Russian	Spook
Hosni Mubarak	4 May 1928	25 February 2020	Egypt	Soldier Politician

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