The École de guerre-Terre (EDG-T) ("Army War College") is a French military academy that trains senior army officers, recruited mainly after succeeding competitive examinations right after the first part of their military career, in which they served as platoon and company commanders in regiments. They will soon be expected to serve as high-level senior officers.
The EDG-T is indeed part of a high-level military education, consisting of staff training, passing the War College (École de guerre / EDG) selective exam, education at the EDG-T, and then at the École de guerre (EdG) ("War College"). The EDG-T was recreated in 2018 and is located inside the walls of the École Militaire, a famous Parisian building facing the Eiffel Tower. It finds its roots in the École supérieure de guerre (ESG), the 136th promotion is currently following schooling.
The nature of the teaching is actually very different EDG, which focuses on joint level operations, whereas EDG-T devotes its teaching to land operations (“on the ground and near the ground”).
It was General Bosser's ambition (former Army chief of staff) to train and prepare tomorrow’s leaders to an ever-degrading security context. Thus, graduates from the EDG-T must be:
- Experts in the design and conduct of land operations;
- Experts in land engagement environments;
- Experts in the knowledge of the French Army.