T

he Indonesian Defense University (Unhan) will take the recommendations and results from the Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD) to strengthen national security.

“We will use the recommendations and results to help formulate state defense policies as well as acting as a reference to further develop the university,” Unhan rector Syarifudin Tippe told reporters after the closing ceremony of JIDD on Friday.

He said the three-day event was designed as a fluid forum in that rather than seeking precise results, it was more of an academic exercise, with around 1,500 participants attending from 37 countries.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto officially closed the event, which was held in conjunction with Unhan’s third anniversary.

In his address, Djoko said that the dialogue was part of efforts to deepen communication and strengthen understanding between various stakeholders in international defense cooperation.

He expected the results to be followed up in comprehensive partnerships to respond to various challenges and threats in the future.

Meanwhile, Tippe said that this year, the second JIDD to be held, showed an increase in both the quality and quantity of participants.

“We will continue to organize the JIDD every year, in conjunction with Unhan’s anniversary. We also expect the event to act as a forum to create and maintain peace in the region,” he said.

The event was also the stage for various bilateral meetings between participating countries and served as a networking event for the military personnel attending.

The dialogue was complemented by the Asia-Pacific Security and Defense Expo, which featured equipment and hardware from 54 defense and security-related firms from 12 countries.

Established on March 11, 2009, Unhan launched three new master’s programs on Thursday, in addition to its four existing programs, as part of its ongoing development.

The new programs are: Peace and Conflict Resolution, Energy and Food Security and As-symmetric Warfare. The university’s four existing programs are Defense Management, Defense Economics, Disaster Management and Total Warfare.

Unhan also signed memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with Norwich University in the UK and the US Naval Postgraduate School in an effort to become a world-class university.

Unhan also signed MoUs with Mulawarman University in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, the Nov. 10 Institute of Technology, the TNI Staff and Command College and the Police Science Institute (PTIK).

— JP/Novan Iman Santosa