Abstract:

Today's international environment is constantly changing, characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, imposing on the armed forces a constant capacity for resilience and adaptation to different operational environments. These chaotic, complex and dynamic operational environments are calling into question the traditional ways in which the Armed Forces operate. This questioning extends to their traditional forms of training, with particular interest, in this communication, in the training of Junior Officers and Captains, who are primarily responsible for leading military operations in the field. This study is therefore guided by the following starting question: What models of leadership training for Junior Officers and Captains are employed by the European Armed Forces? Thus, the aim of this communication is to identify different leadership training models for Junior Officers and Captains in the Armed Forces of European countries; to characterise them and to compare them with leadership training for Junior Officers and Captains in the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA). In order to answer the starting question and to operationalise the objectives set for the research, we opted for a comparative study, of a qualitative nature, to describe the similarities, differences and particularities of the training models identified. Accordingly (Moher et al., 2009) the research was divided into four stages:
Stage 1. Planning:
(a) formulation of the starting question and objectives,
(b) definition of the selection criteria,
(c) selection of the databases, and
(d) definition of the analysis categories.

Stage 2. Carrying out the review:
(a) selection of studies,
(b) data extraction and
(c) data synthesis.

Stage 3. Reporting the review:
(a) description of the main results,
(b) analysis and discussion of the results,

Stage 4: Comparison:
(a) comparison of the evidence gathered
(b) main conclusions, limitations,
(c) indication of gaps and trends for future research.

From the data collected so far, the leadership training for Junior Officers and Captains in the European Armed Forces that has been identified is similar in terms of the age of admission to the training courses. However, it differs in terms of training objectives, duration and methods. Analysing this data gives substance to an analysis of the training process of FAA Junior Officers and Captains, in the context of knowledge of current military art. On the other hand, it makes possible to analyse the curricula of these courses in a more informed and grounded way, considering that in military contexts leadership is based on command and control, tending towards ascension and specialisation, within the framework of career development and performance of functions, from the tactical to the strategic level (Costa & Rouco, 2023).

Keywords:

Military professional training, Training of junior officers and captains, Military leadership, Leadership training models for officers, Curriculum.