Meridon Defense Forces- Academic International Military Exchange/Integration Scheme
Introduction
The Meridon Defense Force Academic International Military Exchange/Integration Scheme (AIMIES) is an initiative provided by the Meridon Defense Forces in collaboration with both the State Department and the Education Department to allow Meridonian officer candidates from all three services, and foreign officer candidates from partnered nations to conduct temporary, short and long-term, and full-term exchanges in the completion of their military and collegiate educational regimes. The stated mission purpose of AIMIES is-
To cultivate military, cultural, and diplomatic relationships between the Meridon Defense Forces and the armed forces of partnered nations; to allow for enriching and educational experiences for officer candidates, and to produce outstanding leaders prepared for careers as officers in the armed services of Meridon and partnered nations.
To this end, AIMIES facilitates exchange programs of officer candidates from participatory nations and officer candidates from all three Meridonian service branches to participate in student exchange programs of varying lengths in participant nations' equivalent educational systems by providing framework for officer candidates to satisfy the educational requirements of their respective service branches while also participating in foreign training programs that will broaden their skillsets and introduce them to different ways of training and education. AIMIES facilitates exchanges of the following types: temporary (less than a semester); short-term (from one-half to one and one-half semesters) long term (one and one-half semester but less than four years); and full (entire term of study).
AIMIES partnerships are available for all undergraduate courses of study at all three Meridonian service academies, including the Federal Military Academy in Newcastle, Alexandria Territory; the Federal Naval Academy in Apirose, Smith Island Territory; and the Air Forces Academy in Orofêt, Mahine Territory.
Information on Participation in AIMIES
The Meridon Defense Forces is excited to include new participant nations in the AIMIES scheme. For foreign officer candidates studying in Meridon, the following stipulations are observed:
- All room, board, stipend, required material (incl. uniform, study supplies, equipment for extracurricular activities), fees, meals, and any other non-incidental expense required for any course of study at a Meridonian service academy is paid for by the Defense Forces. Officer candidates who are removed from AIMIES for any reason may be personally made liable to repay these costs at the discretion of the requisite academy's superintendent.
- Officer cadets will be held to the same personal, professional, academic, athletic, and behavioral tenets that any other cadet at their service academy are held to, and absolutely no preferential treatment of any sort will be given on the account of any factor, including but not limited to nobility or caste, position in foreign armed forces or government, prior experience or education; as well as in protected categories including sex, ethnicity, and religion.
- As is required by the agreement of a cadet's home nation and military with the AIMIES program, accommodations for cultural, religious, dietary, athletic or academic requirements specific to the cadet; or nation/military of origin, will be made insofar as it is not detrimental to the overall course of study and is deemed reasonable by AIMIES.
- Cadets may be recalled for any time or any reason by their military source of origin. Cadets studying at Meridonian service academies will not be forcibly removed without due process as is required by the relevant academy's codes of student conduct. Cadets studying in Meridon, while held liable to all military and relevant local laws, will not be sentenced in Meridonian courts with a preference for immediate deportation to their country of origin with the exception of the commission of serious felonious crimes (i.e. murder, rape, terrorism.)
- Cadets studying at Meridonian service academies will be allowed to participate and experience all aspects of academy life available to other cadets with the exception of events that require Meridonian domestic security clearances beyond those available to foreign cadets. All attempts will be made to allow cadets to participate in events of their area of interest.
- Unless their agreement with AIMIES stipulates otherwise, foreign cadets will be authorized to wear uniform and military rank as is authorized by their military of origin to include all decorations and awards for ceremonial/full formal dress. Meridonian service academies may require the wearing, utilization, or employment of domestic uniforms, equipment or systems, all uniform modifications will be approved by both the military of origin and the requisite service academy. This does not apply to service dress, fatigues, physical training (PT) uniforms, or uniforms required by specific extracurricular activities.
- Foreign cadets participating in full-term exchanges will be awarded baccalaureate-level degrees in their chosen field of study from their requisite service academy upon successful completion of a course of study.
- Unless otherwise authorized by AIMIES agreement or the military of origin, under no circumstance will exchange cadets be deliberately activated into service for the response to real or perceived emergencies, conflicts, conflicts, wars, battles, or other activities not directly related to their education.
National prerequisites for participation in AIMIES
Political
AIMIES is a program dedicated to providing outstanding education to future officers and leaders of the Meridon Defense Forces and partner nations, and as such it is required to vet participating nations to avoid exposing cadets to experiences deemed unbeneficial or detrimental to their education as military officers. As such, nations intending to partner with AIMIES must meet the following domestic criterion:
- Participants must be nations with respect for the rule of law, human rights, and political, religious, educational and protective freedoms enshrined in law, so as to ensure that Meridonian cadets are not manipulated, misused, mistreated, or exposed to hostile learning environments. This means that nations that espouse totalitarian, radical or 'revolutionary', theocratic, racialist, or other extreme forms of political positions as a matter of government policy are strictly prohibited. At the discretion of the State Department, AIMIES may allow partnership with nations with non-democratically elected heads of government such as executive monarchies given they do not display any other discriminating criterion.
- Participant nations must be willing to establish terms of participation for Meridonian cadets studying abroad that are equivalent to or better than the stipulations and protections given by AIMIES for foreign students studying in Meridon, to include participatory protections, the provision of requisite materials, provisions for modified course criterion, and other such areas.
- Participant nations for full-term exchanges must be willing and able to provide accredited baccalaureate-level degree options to exchange cadets or establish a system of study enabling cadets to achieve such degree at an accredited university or institution.
- Participant nations must not be those that have negative relations to Meridon or any of its allies, or nations that have or will act against the interests of Meridon.
- Participant nations must not require Meridonian cadets to participate in political or religious activities as a part of their course of study, with the exception of events or courses of study that examine political or religious subject matters in a purely academic context.
Personal prerequisites for participation into AIMIES programs
Entry into Meridonian service academies, notwithstanding the individual requirements of their nation of origin including those for selection to AIMIES; require all cadets to meet the following standardized criterion. Most items are derived directly from the Unified Academy Standards Act, but some items have been modified:
- Be at least 17 years old but not past 24 years of age upon entry to the Academy.
- Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. While required for Meridonian cadets, education in a non-English language is not required for foreign cadets.
- Meet basic physical and mental requirements to include no major visual, audial, physical, mental or other deformities or disabilities, as well as meet minimum physical fitness and weight/height standards. Participation in specialized training programs, such as pilot training programs, may have specific and more stringent requirements.
- Have no criminal history, excluding traffic/movement violations and minor citations.
- Absolutely no history of drug abuse.
- Meet minimum standards for mathematics, English literature, and scientific courses of study from accredited educational institutions that will prepare them for an intensive collegiate course of study.
- Have no outstanding debt or financial problems, or dependents.
At the request of foreign militaries associated with the program, AIMIES shall conduct evaluation of selected officer candidates for applicability to study at Meridonian service academies.
APPLICATION:
(NOTE: If reciprocal AIMIES applications are established, then unless otherwise specified, two-way permission for officer candidates to study or have studied at the agreed-upon institutions is established. This means both participatory nations (yours and my own) can write characters who have participated in this program at will).
(NOTE 2: This thread is not a roleplay and serves for worldbuilding purposes, however with the agreement of participatory nations it may be used as a facet of a separate roleplay.)
- Code: Select all
[b][u]Meridon Defense Forces- Academic International Military Exchange/Integration Scheme Partnership Application:[/u][/b]
[u]Nation Information[/u]
-Full Formal Name of Nation:
-Government Type:
-Head of State:
-Head of Government (if not HoS):
-Minister of Defense/Equivalent:
-Are you a part of any alliances? If so, list them:
-Population:
-Denonym:
-Is your nation currently in any armed conflicts against another nation state?:
-Is your nation in violation or may be in violation of any of the stipulated disqualifying factors? If so, how?:
-Is there anything about your nation that would be helpful for us to know?:
-Does your nation agree to comply with all above political and personal stipulations for entry into a partnership with AIMIES?:
[u]Military Information[/u]
-Name of military:
-Overall membership:
-Branches:
-Role/mission of your nation's military in your domestic policy:
-Name(s) of military service academies, or equivalent:
-Do your service academies, or equivalent, offer in-house education leading to a baccalaureate-level degree?:
-If the answer to the above question is no, through which educational institution may cadets accomplish baccalaureate-level degree programs during their studies?:
[u]AIMIES Partnership Information- Meridon[/u]
-To which service academies are you interested in having your cadets exchange to?:
-Which kind(s) of exchange lengths are you interested in?:
-How many students, at maximum, do you intend to send to each academy per year?:
-How many students, at maximum, do you intend to send to Meridon via AIMIES in total?:
-Will your cadets require regular, sustained, or significant modifications or accommodations to study in Meridon, including religious, political, cultural, or academic exceptions? If so, please explain in detail:
-Do you have any courses or avenues of study in which your cadets would be required to, or prohibited from, taking part in Meridon?:
[u]AIMIES Partnership Information- Own[/u]
-To which service academies are you interested in having Meridonian cadets exchange to?:
-Which kind(s) of exchange lengths are you interested in?:
-How many students, at maximum, are you comfortable hosting per each academy per year?:
-How many students, at maximum, are you comfortable hosting via AIMIES in total?:
-Will your service academies have specific courses of study, requirements or standards with unusual academic, cultural, religious, or political implications that AIMIES should be aware of? If so, please explain in detail:
-Do you have any courses or avenues of study in which Meridonian cadets would be prohibited from taking part in?:
-Do you have any additional information you are able to provide about your academies, courses of study, or any other aspect of officer education that AIMIES cadets will participate in?:
[u]Other Information[/u]
-Do you have pre-existing ties with Meridon, and if so, what are they?:
-Are there any OOC concerns or caveats you would like to note regarding AIMIES co-operation being utilized by both your nation and Meridon, including and not limited to dates of applicability and course restrictions?:
-Do you intend or would you be interested in developing further military co-operation with Meridon? If yes, how so?:
-Is there anything else you'd like to notify us about?:
