President James Michel has praised the 15 graduates of the first cohort of Young Military Leaders Programme for their successful completion of a 19 months leadership course, at a commissioning ceremony held at the Defence Academy yesterday afternoon.
 
The President said that the Young Military Leaders were part of a vision of youth empowerment, dynamism and innovation of the country, and that he is confident the officers would uphold the values of the nation and perform their sacred duties to protect and respect the constitutional authority of the Republic of Seychelles.
 
"We have high expectations of you. You are embarking on a career in the Military at a time which is characterized by a plethora of challenges - not least, piracy in our region.  Security challenges in the modern world are increasingly sophisticated and unpredictable. The manner in which we face them and their outcomes will, to a large extent, dictate how we forge ahead as a nation and have a role to play in facing those challenges," said President Michel.
 
The President called on the officers to continue learning in order to assume leadership in their career, by learning from others who are more experienced.
 
 "...this in itself does not make you a leader overnight.  To reach the mountaintop, you need to conquer yourself first.  You will be able to achieve this only if you are ready to listen and learn from those who have been there before. I am however, confident that armed with the quality of training which you have been given, you will be able to cope with the demands and exigencies of the various services to which you will be commissioned," said President Michel in an address to the young officers.
 
The President wished the  Military Young Leaders every successes and added that  Seychelles is proud of them and that the nation counts on them give their best to our country and to the Seychelles People's Defence Forces.
The commissioning of the Military Young Leaders was attended by the Chief of Defence Forces, Brigadier Leopold Payet, Commissioner of Police Ministers,  diplomats, parents and spouses of the young officers. 
 
 Editor's Note
 
-         The Military Young Leaders Programme was launched by President Michel in March 2010, designed to provide potential junior commanders with broad leadership guidelines, base upon which to develop the required leadership qualities of a military officer.
-         The programme involves an initial one year of study and training for a certificate qualification, which is then followed by further studies for diploma and degree-level qualifications.