Stand Face to Face with Europe's Military Cadets

Cadets in the seafront, Italian Naval Academy, Livorno, Italy, Nov. 21, 2012.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadet Schweins at the Marineschule Mürwik, Mürwik, Germany, July 19, 2011.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadet van Vilsteren at The Royal Military Academy, Breda, The Netherlands, Dec. 18, 2013.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadets of the Hellenic Naval Academy, Piraeus, Greece, Oct. 9, 2013.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Polish Naval Academy of Gydnia (Akademia Marynarki Wojennej). Cadet Milewski in a training room with simulators, Gdynia, Poland, Oct. 27, 2011.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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A cadet is seen at The Theresian Military Academy, Wiener Neustadt, Austria, Oct. 19, 2011.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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From left: Cadets Mayer and Eisenreich at Marineschule Mürwik, Mürwik, Germany, July 19, 2011.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadet Hofer is seen at The Theresian Military Academy, Wiener Neustadt, Austria, Oct. 18, 2011.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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A cadet during training at The General Jonas Zemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania, Feb. 9, 2012.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadet Alves in the Academia Militar, Lisbon, Portugal, Dec. 04, 2012.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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A cadet in the swimming pool of the Academia Militar, Lisbon, Portugal, Dec. 4, 2012.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadets gathering in the main court of Academia Militar, Lisbon, Portugal, Dec. 5, 2012.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadet Francesco Rizzo in the flight simulator room at the Accademia Aeronautica di Pozzuoli, Pozzuoli, Italy, Dec. 20, 2014.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadet Edwardes at The Royal Air Force's Cranwell College, Lincolnshire, U.K., March, 03, 2014.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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A cadet in front the "temple of Diana" located in the Academy park, Karlberg Military Academy, Stockholm, April 9, 2013.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Cadet Jim Ramel Kjellgren, Karlberg Military Academy, Stockholm, April 10, 2013.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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Ecole Royale Militaire. Cadets, Brussels, April 12, 2013.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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A cadet at The Royal Military Academy, Breda, The Netherlands, Dec. 18, 2013.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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The Royal Military Academy, Breda, The Netherlands, Dec. 18, 2013.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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The Royal Air Force's Cranwell College, Lincolnshire, U.K., March, 04, 2014.

Paolo Verzone—Agence VU

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December 5, 2014 4:00 AM EST

One of the most striking things, Paolo Verzone says, about photographing military cadets is that they really know how to pose. In fact, they are so good at it that sometimes, when he was taking their pictures, he wondered if they would ever stop.

“They are able to stay still for four seconds without moving,” Verzone adds. “That’s a long time, and it was pretty amazing. I actually had to light them less, it was my secret photographic weapon.”

It’s understandable, he continues, because from very early on in their careers many are trained to remain still during drills. Military personnel make even more capable subjects than models, apparently. Who knew?

This discovery came as Verzone was working on his newest book Cadets. The project stemmed from a short assignment for an Italian magazine in 2009 (for which he was sent to photograph French military personnel), and saw him travel to 20 military academies from Portugal to Spain over five years. The aim? To understand the military “soul” of European countries.

“I wanted to see these places, the [military bases] in these countries, many of which were once fighting against each other,” Verzone says.

It wasn’t always easy: Not every military academy replied to his requests. And even when they did, it took a long time for him, as a civilian, to get permission to go inside. And even then he was rarely left alone. But it was something he wouldn’t give up on.

“I wanted to see who these young people are. To go beyond the idea of the one who gets in the army and stays there for life,” he says. “Now, military academies are very different places; you can get a complete degree, and then, for many, you can get out. Times are changing.”

Paolo Verzone is a Paris-based photographer who has been published in TIME, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, and The Guardian among others. Cadets is available now.

Richard Conway is reporter/producer for TIME LightBox.

Paul Moakley, who edited this photo essay, is TIME’s Deputy Director of Photography and Visual Enterprise.