Yogyakarta, May 19th 2026 — The Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SPs UGM) demonstrated its commitment in strengthening national insight and national defense with active participation in the 2026 Defense Management and Defense Administration Study Program Seminar organized by the Military Academy (Akmil). The seminar was theme “Sustainable Defense Force Development: A Transformative Approach to Defense Administration and Logistics” as a response to the dynamics of global threats, the advancement of digital technology, and future geopolitical challenges.
The seminar brought together various stakeholders from academia, the military, and defense practitioners to discuss strategies for strengthening an adaptive, modern, and sustainable national defense system. In this forum, SPs UGM participated not only as attendees but also contributed directly with the involvement of administrators and lecturers from the National Resilience Study Program as keynote speakers.
Prof. Dr. Armaidy Armawi, M.Si served as a keynote speaker, emphasizing the importance of strengthening a national defense system based on national resilience amid cyber threats, the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and multidimensional global conflicts. In his presentation, he stressed that state defense is no longer focused solely on conventional military power, but also includes strengthening human resources, technological mastery, and preparedness in facing increasingly complex hybrid threats.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Djagal Wiseso Marseno, M.Agr attended as a speaker presenting material on the transformation of defense administration and logistics toward a smart, integrated, and sustainable national defense system. In his presentation, he explained the importance of developing an Integrated Smart Defense Administration & Logistics System with defense digitalization, strengthening AI in decision-making processes, developing predictive logistics systems, and reinforcing a technology and innovation-based national defense industry ecosystem.
He also highlighted the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration among the government, TNI-Polri, academics, industry, and society in realizing a resilient national defense system toward the vision of “Indonesia 2045: Smart, Sustainable, Sovereign Defense.” According to him, the transformation of defense administration and logistics is not merely on system modernization, but also on building a national defense ecosystem capable of adapting to changes in the global strategic environment.
The seminar was moderated by Shoim Mardiyah, S.Fil., M.Sc, who facilitated interactive discussions between participants and speakers. The discussions were dynamic, covering various topics including cyber threats, strengthening archipelagic-based defense, military equipment modernization, defense human resource development, and the importance of data and technology integration in future defense governance.
SPs UGM, through this participation, reaffirmed its role as an academic institution actively contributing to the development of strategic national and defense thinking. The involvement of UGM academics in the national forum is expected to strengthen the synergy of higher education institutions and the defense sector in addressing continuously evolving global challenges.
Author: Arfikah Istari