JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. - To an observer, the camouflage-clad soldiers in the small classroom looked like typical officer candidates: young, fit and eager to learn.
But to Albanian Ambassador Gilbert Galanxhi, the 24 men and women being trained as part of a historic partnership with the New Jersey Army National Guard are nothing short of his country's future.
"With the passing of time, the passing of years, you will be the leading officers of the Albanian Army," said Galanxhi, who received his diplomatic training in America before rising to a top diplomatic post.
The 12-week officer candidate program marks the first time National Guard troops have trained officer candidates from an allied nation. The program, which began on May 9, represented two years of planning and coordination between the New Jersey National Guard and the Republic of Albania Armed Forces.
It marked a milestone in the relationship between the two military forces, which has evolved over nearly two decades of the State Partnership Program. The program promotes exhanges between nations.
New Jersey's partnership with Albania allowed the former communist-bloc nation to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2009 and led to five joint deployments to Afghanistan where the New Jersey Guard members and Albanian troops trained Afghan security forces.
Galanxhi visited the Albanian officer candidates to commemorate their successful completion of the first - and perhaps the most challenging - phase of officer candidate school. During that phase, the Albanian candidates successfully demonstrated land navigation skills, survived harsh physical training and employed leadership skills during exercises designed to induce mental stress.
Galanxhi said the candidates would someday be able to establish an American-style officer candidate program in that country. He said the partnership between the National Guard and Albania depends upon that nation maintaining a skilled, professional defense force.
"We can contribute, we can be a real partner even for big and great nations such as the United States of America," he said. "I am very proud you are training in America, the champion of democracy, one of the most powerful and most democratic nations and one of the best friends of Albania."
He noted that Albania's history has been intertwined with the United States. It began when President Woodrow Wilson insisted that Albania maintain its sovereignty following World War I and continued as other presidents supported its adoption of a democratic government and entry into NATO.
He told the candidates the future of the Albania military is in their hands.
"The only constant thing in this world is change, which very much depends on how you shape it, for better or for worse," he said. "I'm fully confident that with the knowledge and skills you get with this training, you will be able to shape the future of the Albanian Army for good."