EduAsiaNews, Jakarta — The Rector of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ), Prof. Dr. Anter Venus, M.A., Comm., conducted a strategic visit and discussion with the Head of the National Reserve Agency (Kabacadnas) of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia, Lieutenant General TNI Gabriel Lema, to strengthen coordination in developing non-military state defense initiatives within higher education institutions. The meeting formed part of UPNVJ’s transformation agenda to further solidify its role as a center for the thought and implementation of state defense values, not only for the academic community but also with broader societal impact.
Previously, UPNVJ launched the IIBN (State Defense Implementation Index) as an instrument to map the spirit and enforcement of state defense on campus at the end of December 2025. During the meeting, the Rector of UPNVJ emphasized that the university’s identity as a State Defense Campus requires strengthening conceptual foundations, policy consistency, and institutional networks aligned with national directions. Coordination with Kabacadnas was therefore deemed essential to harmonize understanding, formulate cooperation, and identify policy needs relevant to contemporary and future state defense challenges.
Kabacadnas is a unit under the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia that carries out a strategic role in managing reserve resources and policy ecosystems intersecting with the strengthening of national resilience. In various Ministry of Defense agendas, Kabacadnas fulfills both representative and coordinative mandates on issues related to resilience enhancement, including stakeholder networks.
On that occasion, UPNVJ presented its concept and strategy for non-military state defense developed by the university as both an academic and social approach. Rector Anter Venus explained that non-military state defense does not rely on physical defense; rather, it emphasizes strengthening reasoning, ethics, literacy, character, critical thinking, and resilience in facing non-conventional threats—ranging from disinformation and intolerance to cyberattacks—through education, research, and community engagement.
The presentation also underscored that UPNVJ’s non-military approach is designed to be implemented across disciplines, measurable in impact, and supported by multi-stakeholder collaboration. In several initiatives, UPNVJ has mainstreamed non-military state defense through character-building programs, academic forums, and the strengthening of partner civil society organizational ecosystems to expand its public impact.
Kabacadnas expressed appreciation for UPNVJ’s development of the non-military state defense concept, particularly the university’s efforts to advance the idea academically while simultaneously promoting practical implementation through activities involving communities and organizational networks. This appreciation also opens opportunities for strengthened coordination to ensure that state defense programs and narratives within higher education institutions align with national resilience needs.
The Rector of UPNVJ concluded the meeting by reaffirming the institution’s commitment to making state defense a transformative driving force for the university—integrated into the curriculum, research, innovation, and community service, and oriented toward public benefit. “UPNVJ will continue to strengthen policies and programs that cultivate resilience among members of the campus community through non-military state defense. We believe that strengthening national character grounded in scientific knowledge and cross-sector collaboration is a vital foundation for the nation’s competitiveness,” stated Prof. Dr. Anter Venus.(www.upnvj.ac.id)
