Here comes graduating time for military cadets, as every July, reports Amirah Ibrahim On Sunday, President Mubarak and military brass, including Minister of Defence Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and Chief-of-Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Sami Anan, watched as the class-60 of young officers graduated from the Naval Academy, in Alexandria. All military cadets this year are titled Class Lieutenant General Mohamed Saadeddin Maamoun, after the ex- commander of the Second Army. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, parliament speaker Fathi Sorour along with a number of ministers, governors and military attaches in Egypt attended the ceremony. The president and his accompanying delegation were welcomed by Naval Forces Commander Rear Admiral Mohab Mamish and academy officials. During the ceremony, the new graduates displayed their athletic and technical skills, using the latest equipment recently acquired by the navy. Young naval cadets performed three practical exercises to show off their professional training and readiness. They first applied a rescue operation to save the crew and passengers onboard a ship set on fire and drowning. Another group of commando marines carried out a successful operation to liberate a commercial ship that was seized by pirates. A third group of frogmen attacked an oil drill and sabotaged it. Addressing the new cadets, academy director Admiral Ahmed El-Yamani praised the performance of young cadets who through several generations succeeded to place their naval academy among the top in the world. The second day, the president, accompanied by top military commanders and government officials, oversaw the graduation ceremony of air defence cadets at their academy in Alexandria. Guests of honour included Air Defence Commander Lieutenant General Abdel-Aziz Seifeddin and academy officials. The new officers of Class 37 also performed a tactical exercise in a simulated battle to show off their high skills and preparations. Top graduates were decorated by the president and Field Marshal Tantawi. Military graduations continue in Cairo over the coming week at the Technical Institute, the Air Forces Academy and finally the War Academy.
