The Staff College (SC) is a military educational establishment, created on February 24th, 1977 in pursuance of the Decree No 077/1977/CAB. Based at Haydar Palace until 1996, it moved to the Khéreddine Bacha building, newly set up for the SC.

1.General Khéreddine Bacha (1822 – 1890)

Khéreddine was born about 1822 in a small village of Circasia in the northeast of Caucasia. Captured while he was young within the frame of white slave trade, he has been sold as a slave in Turkey and bought by Tahsin Beg to serve as a companion to his unique son. After his son died, Tahsin Beg sold Khéreddine (at the age of 17) to the special representative of Ahmed Bey who brought him to Tunis on 1839.  As mameluk in the Ahmed Bey first Court in Bardo, Khéreddine learnt Arabic language and followed the courses of the War School  (founded by Ahmed Bey in 1840) where he learnt French. Incorporated as officer in the cavalry, he reached the rank of brigadier in 1850. 

• In 1857, he was appointed as Minister of the Sea, and a year later, he participated in the Reform Committee set up by M'hamed Bey to draft the constitutional charter.

• In 1859, he was elected vice president of the Supreme Council (El Majless El Kebir)

•  From 1860 to 1862, he was assigned to the position of president of the Supreme Council

•  In 1869, he was designated to chair the international financial committee, set up in the aftermath of the public finance crisis.

•  In 1870, he was appointed Leading Minister

•  From 1873 to 1877, he was assigned to the position of Prime Minister (Grand Vizir)

• From December 1878 to July 1879, Khéreddine Bacha occupied the post of Prime Minister (Sadr Adham) of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Sultan Abdul-Hamid

• In January 1890, Khéreddine died in Constantinople

• The remnants of General Khéreddine Bacha were brought back to Tunisia in March 28th, 1968 as a public tribute to the services the reformer Minister made to Tunisia.
  
  

2. Some key-dates in the history of the college :

• 1978- First promotion- Army Department only

• 1984- 7th promotion- SC welcomes the first North African officer from Algeria

• 1986- 9th promotion-opening of the “Navy” Department

• 1987 - 10th promotion -opening of the "Air" Department

• 1988- 11th promotion-SC welcomes the first officer from a sub-Saharan country (Senegal).

• 1990- 13th promotion- SC welcomes the first European officer from Spain

• 1994- 17th promotion -opening of the "ATG" Department

• 1996- Inauguration of the new "Instruction unit"

• 1996- 19th promotion- Admission of the first female officer trainee

• 1997- SC welcomes the first Middle East officer from Saudi Arabia

• 1998- 21st promotion- SC welcomes the first officer from the United States of America.

  3. The succeeding commanders of the Staff College

• Colonel Hassen Jabli: from March 1977 to August 1983

• Colonel Rafik Sarraj: from August 1983 to June  1984

• Colonel Younes Chetali: from September 1984 to July 1988

• Brigadier Youssef Ben Slimane: from August 1988 to August 1989

• Senior-colonel Mohamed Habib Ayachi:  from August 1989 to August 1993

• Senior-colonel Abdelaziz Skik:  from September 1993 to July 1994

•  Senior-colonel Azmi Mahjoub: from July 1994 to September 1997

• Senior-colonel Mohamed Habib Ayachi: from October 1997 to August 2000

• Senior-colonel Mansour Haddad: from September 2000 to December 2001

• Senior-colonel Kamel Bouhaouala: from December 2001 to July 2005

• Senior-colonel Bechir Daoud, present Commander since August 2005.