Law student Alisa went to work for the Marechaussee. ‘I learned to behave like a soldier’

Law student Alisa went to work for the Marechaussee. ‘I learned to behave like a soldier’

She stood among tourists in uniform, learned to shoot a rifle and conducted research on the use of cyber weapons. Every day is an adventure for TiU alumna Alisa Smajic, now a working student at the Defense Department.

Alisa Smajic

“As a military work-study student at the Ministry of Defense, you can really do anything, with all backgrounds. I started at the staff of the Marechaussee at the ministry in The Hague. At first, I was skeptical. You come in as a student and have to work with all kinds of high-ranking officers. That made me a little insecure. I thought: maybe they won’t take me seriously. But they see you as a specialist, someone who has knowledge they need.

“I researched the extent to which the Defense Department can use cyber weapons within the regulations and what they need to pay attention to. For this, I talked to many people and did literature research. Meanwhile, I’m in the International Military Cooperation department. There, I am researching the status of Dutch military personnel who have been situated in Italy but do not fall under NATO. It’s quite a big job, and I’ll be working on it for some time.

“My studies always come first. If I have exams, I don’t work for a while, or less. The program is also set up so that you have to get credits in order to keep working. You can also rise in rank if you have gained enough experience and credits. I am now a Marechaussee class 2 and can almost be promoted to Wachtmeester. After my training, I can possibly advance to officer as a reservist or regular soldier.

“The first night at a barracks at the airmobile unit in Schaarsbergen, I carried three very heavy bags. For basic military training, I spent five days internal twice, with a weekend at home in between. We were told to be in the corridor where we slept within fifteen minutes. We had no idea where that was and it was dark. We sprinted carrying our bags, but we were too late. They were not happy about that. At the Defense department, they are strict.

‘A coin should be able to bounce on the bed’

“Every morning we got room inspection. The room had to be neat, very neat. We had a pocketknife and had to fold everything to that width. Your closet has to be arranged a certain way and the same for the whole room. The bed has to be made so tight that a coin should be able to bounce on it. Whether that all worked out? No, definitely not. And if something wasn’t right, the inspectors would take out the whole closet. Then you got ten minutes to do it again. This went on all morning.

“I learned to act like a military person. This ranges from standing to attention and military postures to marching. I also got my weapon. I had never had one in my hand before. We got theory on how to take it apart and how to shoot it. And we practiced with it, first in a simulation, then with real bullets. That was very exciting. We had to meet targets, like hitting the target five times whilst lying down and four times whilst kneeling.

“Also, I slept two nights in the forest. Together with my buddy, I had to set up a tent there. I slept with my weapon in my back and was super alert because the alarm could be raised at any moment. Then you have to be at your command within a minute. My shoes were ready next to the tent. I didn’t undress further, that would only take time.

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“It’s not only hard work, but also a lot of fun. At Defensity College, you get to know students from all over the country. For example, they organize galas and military learning days. Last year February, before the coronavirus outbreak, I went to southern Germany for a week of winter training.

“I received skiing lessons there, in my uniform, among the tourists. That first day felt like a vacation. But we were also there to really learn something. The second day, we had to cross-country ski up a mountain with heavy packs. We were all beginners. Our instructors said, “In ten minutes at the top, young people. If one of you doesn’t make it, everyone has to do it again.

‘At university, it’s more about using your elbows’

“I had a lot of trouble with that, my condition is not that good. But you encourage each other and one of the stronger ones took over my bag. In the end, we made it as a group that way. I was completely out of breath.

“I now know that I can actually always move forward, if there are people there to help me. You don’t learn this at university; there it’s more about using your elbows. You have to make sure you’re at the front, get the best grades, and get the most attention from your lecturer. But you can do well, it’s ultimately about how you perform as a team. Not only at Defense, but also later in business.”

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