"I know you will live the values you learned here, and that you will provide the courageous leadership the military expects of you," U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, told the graduates.

The Iraqi academies have been providing Western-style training to military cadets. Rustamiyah, founded by Britain in 1924, has been modeled after the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Since 2005, Rustamiyah as well as Nasseriya, Qualachalon and Zhako, graduated 4,800 new officers for the Iraqi military and security forces. The academies provided both combat and language instruction.

"From this place, I'm asking you all to be united," Al Mufriji said. "All work as one team, for Iraq only. Remember that you all have the same enemy."

Officials said the cadets were placed in one year courses — or six month training for university graduates. Air force cadets joined their army counterparts for the first term, then focused on air and language training.

During the year-long course, cadets began with 15 weeks of basic training, followed by a similar period in command and platoon missions. The final term sought to integrate these skills in a final tactical training exercise.

The U.S. military has cited the lack of a junior and mid-level officer corps as a key obstacle to the development of the Iraqi security forces. Officials said a professional and dedicated officer corps was vital to Iraqi security independence.

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