National Defence University of Malaysia

UPNM was formerly known as Akedemi Tentera Malaysia (ATMA) or the Malaysian Armed Forces Academy which was established on June 1, 1995. The institution was also branded as the sole organization responsible in upgrading the knowledge and academic status of the armed forces by offering bachelor degree courses in fields of engineering, sciences and managements while not neglecting the basic requirements of military training.

The bachelor degree courses were accredited and awarded by University Teknologi Malaysia in the beginning. Lecturers – some from within the armed forces, some hired by the academy and the rest deputised by UTM where all were fully committed to changing the face of the Malaysian armed forces.

The university’s first intake of students was for the 2007/2008 session which amid new changes having admission the first intake of civilian undergrads. Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia prepares the Malaysian military and civilian leaders to better address national and international security challenges through multi-disciplinary educational programmes, research, professional exchanges and outreach. Though the university was not too long ago established, it has already chalked up over 11 years of experience in education and training since 1995 with over 1000 graduates in the fields of engineering, computer science and management. These graduates have all been successfully inducted and now suit as full officers in the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, also in other Government Sectors and Non Government Sectors.

Our Vision is To be the premier defence university in the region for education, training and knowledge creation. UPNM Philosophy is The premier national institution dedicated to producing intellectual leaders of character committed towards selfless service to the nation in furtherance of national strategic interests.

UPNM is committed to excellence in serving the nation as a premier defence university for leadership and professional development, knowledge dissemination and application of defence science and technology, as well as policy research.

• Quality integrated military education and training in producing graduates who exhibit excellence in the intellectual, leadership and professional domains without sacrificing the winning mentality.
• Instilling greater professionalism among the academics by stimulating the pursuit of scholarly excellence through a greater flourish of academic and policy research activities resulting in quality publications in refreed journals.
• Being an acknowledged center for policy research and post graduate studies in defence and security.
• Striving for R & D success through research collaboration with defence industries and other research organizations in creating new knowledge to enable the university to be the knowledge hub and consultancy for defence technology applications.
• Striving for enhanced internationalization and collaborative networking with reputable international universities and research centers.
• Striving for enhanced internationalization and collaborative networking with reputable international universities and research centers.
• Striving for enhanced internationalization and collaborative networking with reputable international universities and research centers.
• Transforming the organization to ensure greater cross functional coordination, good service delivery and customer focus so as to support UPNM’s effort to be a knowledge hub.