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Interplanetary Combatives Training (ICT) is the Systems Alliance's premier school for leadership and combat expertise. The Interplanetary Combatives Academy, sometimes called "N-School" or "the villa," recruits officers from every branch of Earth's militaries to partake in grueling courses at Vila Militar in Rio de Janeiro.
Initially, candidates train for more than 20 hours per day, leading small combat teams through hostile terrain with little sleep or food. Trainees who do well are awarded an internal designation of N1 and are invited to return. Subsequent courses - N2 through N6 - are often held off-planet and include instruction in zero-G combat, military free-fall (parachuting), jetpack flight, combat diving, combat instruction, linguistics, and frontline trauma care for human and alien biology.
The highest grade of training, N6, provides actual combat experience in combat zones throughout the galaxy. If the trainee survives these scenarios in "admirable and effective fashion," he or she finally receives the coveted N7 designation. N7 is the only ICT designation that may be worn on field or dress uniforms.
There is little shame in failing an N course - the training is so extreme that even qualifying for N1 elevates an officer to a position of respect. The universal prestige of merely attending the academy helps to restrain trainees from taking excessive risks in pursuit of higher honors.
Although ICT qualification by itself does not guarantee higher rank, those officers who are able to complete the program are typically well suited to senior leadership positions.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/N7
As Little explained:
N - special forces
7 - level
N7 - the best armed forces that the Alliance Military can offer. AKA the 'best of humanity', at least in terms of combat, survival, tactics, etc.
The 'N' is just a general letter code (all are used) for what your military role is. 'N' can be viewed as a very exclusive one though.
The several ranks indicate proficiency, and the higher you get, the more leadership potential you may be regarded as having.
Shepard, as a N7, with a specific accomplishment (that you pick in character selection), is seen as a great prospect for the Spectres - which would mean a graduation from the 'best of humanity' into being the 'best of the Council', again in terms of combat, survival, tactics.
Both Spectres and N7 are mostly military, but there's a 'special agent' quality to both. Both are typically given above-normal authority; N7 would probably have a lot of access to human classified information that would normally be restricted to admirals and powerful politicians etc, and Spectres are given even more authority over pretty much all of Council space. They're meant to 'get things done', either directly or indirectly.
ME3 expands the definition further (even as its always grounded in the trilogy as meaning 'Alliance military' in its strict version of the definition). The Reaper War forces or encourages a few things:
1 - The tests to be an N7 at this point are clearly more informalized, now that the Alliance and humanity are pressed to the wall. Someone like James Vega is worthy of N7 just for around and working with Shepard successfully, really. The association is made increasingly clear; if you are fighting and surviving to an amazing extent, and you have to do with Shepard, there's a little 'N7' in you.
2 - The Alliance is being devastated in the war. If we take MP as canon (and seemingly the Citadel DLC does so), then many of other species are given a more honorary N7 designation, as special forces. This seems weird, but again, if we take N7 to more and more mean a symbol than a strict military code, it makes a sort of sense. At this point N7 means just that you're a fantastic fighter and teammate with leadership qualities and great effectiveness at fighting the Reapers and beyond. N7 increasingly is being used as an inspirational message that the Reapers can be fought and defeated.
We'll have to see what the next game does with N7. The Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer is a strange one, given that the N7 in the trailer has been confirmed to NOT be the character we will be playing. What does it meannn? Haha.
In the end, at least for now (the current and upcoming game), Bioware intends on continuing to use N7 as a symbol for Mass Effect. Military personnel code, Shepard identity, galactic fighter, and beyond. When you see N7, you think Mass Effect. Branding. The specific lore (the military info) actually isn't as important to Bioware as the overall messaging.
James Vega's story starts out on Fehl Prime but at that point he already idolises Shepard for what happened at the Citadel. anyway, the mission at Fehl prime as second in command only to Captain Toni of Delta Squad was to investigate the planet because of mercenaries being a problem there, after dealing with the blood pack. a few years later and Vega is still at Fehl prime but this time it is different, up on discovering prothean ruins the collectors make a b-line for the colony and abduct the people there as Delta squad arrives only to find some members of this team abducted as well. during the whole thing, Vega has to deal with a Cerberus spy, the collectors and the choice to sacrifice the colonist of Fehl for the intelligence, he chose the latter than the former.
Captain Toni while commander of Delta squad, he was actually pretty pathetic through the paragon lost film. Vega more or less carried Toni through the trouble. so basically Vega was in charge at the time.
after the events on Fehl, he left for Omega and started drowning his sorrows to remove the pain and the thoughts of the colonists he left to die for the intel. He became a glorified baby sitter for the imprisoned Shepard just before ME3, during the court martial in ME3 when the reapers invaded, Vega managed to find his way to the Normandy and joined the team despite the fact it was not his assignment. He not only kept up with Shepard but it reaffirmed his goals and leadership with the help of Shepard who had similar choices to make. it is through the actions of Shepard explaining it to Vega that he regained sense of his leadership skills and eventually the sponsor for Vega's inclusion into the N school.
it's more than just Shepard, but Vega has all the qualifications to become an elite N7 officer, because he knows hard choices, he is as tough as they come which makes him a formidable force on the front lines, he has strong leadership skills and he knows weapons and combat tactics. this was refined even more under the command of Shepard on the Normandy.
With MEA, Alec Ryder is an N7 but it is not yet known if Sara or Scott are N designated.
Alec is/was N7 but Sara/Scott are not. I *think* this was confirmed by Bioware.
it isn't the case when it comes to for example Ashley or Kaiden and they both served together before the event happens and then one or the other serves with shepard again later on. neither of these two made N designation but one was made a spectre. that suggests that it goes further than just working for Shepard on the Normandy. there had to of been something that made Vega stand out as an example to receive the invitation to become and N designated officer.
James is invited to undergo N7 training, not just be N7.
He still has to train. He's only proven himself within the Alliance enough to do the training. It'd be after the war, and narratively, he's almost certain to get it (though you can praise or admonish him for the attitude he has about the matter).
We don't know about Ashley/Kaidan. Maybe they were offered and refused and just didn't tell anyone. Maybe the Alliance was busy (through Anderson, Hackett, etc) assigning them to places like Horizon.
In any case, James' invitation to train to be N7 shouldn't be taken for lack of qualifications for Ashley/Kaidan. Or at least lack of achievement.
That said, there's a case to be had where Ashley/Kaidan as SPECTRE was a political appointment foremost. Udina trying to do something to do with them.
Since when has Udina done anything but for himself and what he considers on behalf of humanity? he is just as skilled as TIM in that he has no great skills and that any advancements are incidental than by design. Kaiden or Ashley was likely chosen because of their record besides Shepard and lets face it, Ashley wouldn't of been anywhere if shepard had not found her on Eden Prime. she would just be another dead sergeant that doesn't stand out in any way. Kaiden made an impact internally within the alliance but even he was considered insignifcant when he got dumped on Horizon, that was likely a low point for Kaiden, he also did nothing of note for that colony either but yet he got promoted to major from staff commander.
Really there is nothing noteworthy about either one other than the fact they both served on the Normandy with Shepard and neither of them would of made any impact without Shepard either. if either of them were offered N training, you would be sure that they will need guidance on how it is, how to handle the training and so on from someone who is actually N7, shepard would be the only logical choice to talk with.
James Vega already passed some of the critical points that would make him a perfect N7 officer as already explained, the training is just a formality at this point because Vega will take it seriously and getting advice from Shepard to wrestle with his own demons will only make his resolve stronger to go for it as noted by the tattoo on his back.