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The '''War Academy of Mars''' was one of the premier military academies of the [[Star League Defense Force]], part of the famous "War Triad" which included the [[Sandhurst Royal Military College]] and the [[Military Academy of Aphros]].  Besides training cadets, the War Academy or WAM also served as a major think tank and the operational headquarters of the SLDF, focusing on conducting strategy while the facilities on [[Terra]] handled bureaucratic matters.  Naturally, WAM specialized in strategic training, and while it only accepted officer cadets, graduates of WAM were guaranteed a posting with plenty of action and responsibility.<ref name=TSL108>''The Star League'', p. 108</ref><ref name=HLTI42>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 42</ref>  Located southwest of the Olympus Mons, the War Academy included 10,000 km<sup>2</sup> of land to be used to conduct battlefield simulations.<ref name=HLTII66>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 66</ref>  

When [[Rim Worlds Army|Republican]] forces launched their surprise attack that began the [[Star League Civil War]], WAM was the focus of resistance to their attempted conquest of Mars, holding out for six weeks until it was finally  reduced to rubble through [[nuclear weapon]]s.<ref name=HLTII66/>  The site lay dormant during the [[Succession Wars]], until following the [[Clan Invasion]] when [[ComStar]] planned to rebuild the site as a training school for their [[Com Guards]].  However when it was reactivated in [[3059]], the [[Word of Blake]] had captured Mars along with the rest of the [[Terra]]n system during [[Battle of Terra (3058)|Operation ODYSSEUS]] and proceeded to use WAM to train their own [[Word of Blake Militia|military forces]].<ref name=FMC48>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 48</ref>

Under Blakist control, WAM served as a training facility for both [[ROM]] personnel and military cadets who could not get into Sandhurst due to spacing.  This led to a friendly rivalry between the two schools, as many WAM militia cadets worked even harder to prove they were better than those at Sandhurst, which also served to create a comradely atmosphere among the students (excepting ROM cadets, who were kept separate from the rest).  Training included low-gravity courses to acclimate cadets to Mars' environment, combined-arms, and indoctrination.  Initially the Blakist WAM only trained MechWarriors and vehicle crews, though they eventually added an infantry course.  Most who graduated were promoted to the rank of [[Acolyte]] and posted to a Militia unit, though the best of this group might be given second-in-command of a [[Level II]].  The best cadets however were given officer training, where they were promoted to [[Adept]] after three years of training.<ref name=FMC48/>

As part of [[Operation SCOUR]] to end the Blakist [[Jihad]], Mars was attacked by [[Stone's Coalition]], during which WAM was heavily damaged by [[Clan]] forces and forced to close.  As of [[3085]], the [[Republic of the Sphere]]'s [[Republic Armed Forces|armed forces]] had expressed no interest in reopening WAM, though the Department of Military Intelligence was interested in assuming responsibility for the facility.<ref>''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 174</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''
* ''[[The Star League]]''

[[Category:Military Academies|War Academy of Mars]]