President Luis Abinader attended the graduation class for the 37th promotion of the Voluntary Military Service Values Training Program (Servicio Militar Voluntario – SMV). 5,536 graduated after receiving training in civic responsibility, ethics, military discipline, and community service. The graduation took place at the Sans Soucí Convention Center in Santo Domingo, was led by President Luis Abinader and Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre.
The graduates, who came from 24 provinces across the country. With this latest class, the SMV has now trained and graduated 89,337 participants over the course of its 23-year history, the Presidency reported on 25 June 2025.
During the ceremony, Minister Fernández Onofre emphasized the symbolic significance of the venue. “This is not a military barracks, nor a traditional classroom,” he said. “This is a space where over 5,000 young people have united discipline with aspiration. Here, the uniform is not worn out of obligation, but as a voluntary commitment.”
In his address, the defense chief highlighted the enduring spirit of Dominican youth who have participated in the SMV. He described the program as a regional model of prevention, empowerment, and civic engagement — not achieved through weapons, but through education, values, and opportunity.
“Voluntary Military Service is one of the noblest forms of service,” Fernández Onofre said. “Here, loyalty is not demanded by regulation; it is earned through conviction. This program does not just build muscle and endurance — it forges principles, self-esteem, national identity, and a sense of belonging.”
The minister also noted the broader educational reach of the Dominican Armed Forces. Today, 41,349 students are enrolled across a spectrum of academic institutions linked to the military. These include early childhood centers, the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro, Politécnico San Miguel Arcángel, vocational schools, three military academies, infantry and specialist schools, the General Staff College, the Human Rights School, and the School of Strategic Higher Studies, in addition to Dominican cadets studying abroad.
SMV Director Rafael Acosta Sena highlighted the continued growth and national expansion of the program, noting that it now operates in 116 educational centers throughout the country, reaching more than 14,000 students annually.
He outlined the training curriculum, which includes military courtesy and discipline, ethics and civic education, road safety, gender-based violence prevention, STD prevention, anti-gang awareness, and drug abuse prevention. Participants also take part in environmental protection activities, such as reforestation drives and coastal cleanups — efforts aimed at fostering national pride, environmental awareness, and a sense of patriotism.
The SMV continues to serve as a transformative platform for Dominican youth, offering them tools for personal growth, community engagement, and national identity — all through a voluntary and peaceful path of service.
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Presidency
26 June 2025