4. Pla National Defense University, China
Known by attendees as China’s Westpoint, Pla National Defense University that ranks 4th in our list of toughest military training academies in the world is the result of the unification of the PLA Political Academy, the PLA Logistics Academy, and the PLA Military Academy in 1985. With roots in Chairman Mao’s Red Army Training Brigade in 1927, and subsequently in Yanan’s Red Army University in 1936, the academy employs a curriculum that includes courses in national defense, joint command and staff, and advanced refresher concepts. The university has opened its doors to over 800 foreign military professionals, and has received foreign leaders such as former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who spoke at the academy in 2013.
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