UPNVJ Public Relations – Coinciding with the 97th Youth Pledge Day commemoration, the National Development University “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ) in collaboration with the National Defense Cadre Alumni Association (IKABENAS) will hold a National Defense Seminar on October 28, 2025. This activity will be a forum for reflection and strengthening of national values amidst the increasingly complex digital and globalization era.

The event's organizing committee, Agung Prabowo, explained that the seminar was a collaboration between UPNVJ and alumni of national defense cadres from various provinces across Indonesia. "We want to rekindle the spirit of national defense that we experienced when we participated in the National National Defense program in the 1990s," Agung said.

The national-level National Defense Program itself was initiated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI), from 1992 to 1999, with a total of eight cohorts of participants from 27 provinces in Indonesia before the regional expansion era. After a brief hiatus following the 1998 reforms, its alumni took the initiative to establish the National Defense Movement Communication Center Forum (Puskom GBN), which evolved into IKABENAS, a forum that brings together alumni from all provinces.

Agung added that the choice of October 28th was not without reason. "We believe the Youth Pledge is the perfect opportunity to reaffirm the spirit of unity and love for the homeland. We hope that participants will represent the diversity from Sabang to Merauke, by wearing traditional attire from their respective regions as a symbol of that diversity," he said.

This seminar is planned to be held at the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika Auditorium, 4th Floor, UPNVJ Rectorate Building with full support from UPNVJ Rector Prof. Dr. Anter Venus, MA, Comm., who is also an alumnus of the first batch of IKABENAS. Prof. Venus will also be one of the speakers for the panel discussion. This seminar will be attended in person by representatives from nine provinces, while participants from other regions can follow the event via UPNVJ YouTube live broadcast.

Through this activity, IKABENAS and UPNVJ hope to reinstill the values of discipline, unity, and love for the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) in the younger generation. "We live in the digital age, but the spirit of love for the Red and White and adherence to the 1945 Constitution must remain ingrained. We want students and student regiments to participate in fostering a spirit of national defense in this new era," said Agung.

Agung also advised students not to view national defense activities as militaristic. "The values of national defense aren't about physical strength, but about discipline, fighting spirit, and responsibility. It's precisely through this discipline that we learn to become resilient citizens with integrity," he added.

Through this collaboration, UPNVJ and IKABENAS reaffirm their commitment to instilling the spirit of “Love for the Homeland, Loyalty to Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, and Willingness to Sacrifice for the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia” in the young generation of Indonesia, so that the spirit of National Defense remains alive amidst the currents of modernization and global disruption.