Indonesia Defence University (IDU) as Melting-Pot

for Civillian Academics and Military Officer:

A Strategy to Broaden Students Mind
to Maximize Achievement as Think-Tank

Presented at the
19th ARF HDUCIM ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM
Head of Defence Universities, Colleges, and Institutions Meeting
1st 4th September 2015
National Defence College, Republic of the Union Myanmar

Indonesia Defence University (IDU)

Prof. S. Hartati Reksodiputro-Suradijono, Ph.D. 1
Air First Marshall Tatan Kustana, M.Bus, M.A. 2

1
Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs, Indonesia Defence University,
Professor, at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Indonesia.
2
Vice Dean, Faculty of Defence Management, Indonesia Defence University.
 Colonel Navy Beni Rudiawan, S.E, M.Si (Han)3
A. Introduction: Education as developmental tools.
As early as 1853 Newman (in Suradijono, 2010; Kotze, E. & Steele, R, 1995) had
pointed out the benefit of education as follows ". .. general culture of the mind is the best aid to
professional and scientific study, and educated men can do what an illiterate cannot; and the
man who has learned to think and to reason and to compare and to discriminate and to
analyze ... will not indeed at once be a lawyer ... or a soldier, but he will be placed in that state
of intellect in which he can take up any of the sciences or callings with an ease, a grace, a
versatility, and a success, to which another is a stranger."

More than a century has past by since Newman signaled his thoughts, nowadays the
trace of feeling un-sureness on the benefit of using education against experience as
developmental tools, is still there, especially for officers and soldiers (Suradijono, 2010) R.J.
Evraire (in Horn, 2002) noted that higher education was not perceived as a way to develop the
minds of officers; rather, it was a task oriented function to acquire a skill for which there was an
obvious and immediate need, mostly in technical areas. Horn (2002) further sees that
conformity and loyalty tend to be valued over intellect and critical thinking. Not until the year
1969 the importance of education to the military profession was recognized due to Jean Victor
Allards statement: ... it matters little whether the Forces have their present manpower
strength and financial budget, or half of them, or double them; without a properly educated,
effectively trained professional officer corps, the Forces would, in the future, be doomed at best
to mediocrity, and at the worst, to disaster (in Suradijono, 2010).

In addition to the aforementioned attitude towards higher education, there seemed to

be little comprehension of the difference between training and education. Traditional meaning
of training as a predictable response to a predictable situation, was frequently mistaken with
education which is defined as the reasoned response to an unpredictable situation critical
thinking in the face of the unknown. (Suradijono, 2010). Simply put, education, is the shaping
of the mind that resulted with ones ability to think critically, creatively and strategically.
Therefore, military officers should not only receive functional training, but must also be engage
in an education environment as in an university, for the sake of being exposed to analytical
skills and critical judgement, in addition to being exposed to diverse points of view.

University, by definition, is an institution of higher learning, authorized to grant

academic degrees (bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree) by providing facilities for
teaching and research (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). According to Piper (in Kotze, E. & Steele,
R, 1995 ), a university distinguishes itself from other higher educational institutions through
certain "definitive characteristics," which is, an environment " where people have the freedom to
search for truth and to teach the truth in defiance of anyone who wishes to curtail this freedom ."
Piper further states that " a universitys essential commitment [should be] to questioning the
accepted wisdom of the day and the consequent need for it to be free of constraints designed
to encourage intellectual, philosophical and political conformity ." Thus, the university
educations main objectives are to endorse the general powers of the mind, and the
transmission of a shared culture and shared standard of social responsibility (Robbins
3
Head of Study Program for Strategy and Military Campaign, Indonesia Defence University.
2
Committee, in Kotze, E. and Steele, R. 1995) . University is where think-tank is cultivated.

B. Civilian Academics and Military Officers: The Interaction

Academic studies, as in the university, can provide to the students the knowledge,
insight, and the analytic skills which serves as the essential basis, for reasoned discussion, and
action. Education, rooted in critical thinking, problem solving and analytical research will better
prepares individuals to think as well as cope with problems and situations that are unexpected.
It assists individuals to not only embrace change, but adapt to and anticipate it. More
importantly, it instills in people the attitude and ability to constantly learn from ones
environment and to prepare, as well as react, accordingly.

Consequently, students and academics that comes from different background ---
civilian and military --- will enrich the group-knowledge accumulated through discussions, and
in return will augment the formulation of mental models to interpret the external world. They
provide a forum, and raise the qualities, which enable them --- civillian-military students and
academics --- to reach a mutual understanding of the problems which confront them, even if,
unavoidably, there is dis-agreement about the solutions. This dialogue is what civilization is all
about. Without it societies dissolve.

However, beyond the practical advantages that the join civillian and military students
received, there is also the imperceptible. Namely, a greater breadth of knowledge, tolerance to
alternate interpretations and ideas, familiarity with critical debate and discussion, the
sharpening of analytical skills, as well as the exposure to complete new bodies of literature and
thought, expand the mind and maximized achievement as think-tank. Intellectual development
and a common cultural and value system shared by the community (civillian) and the military
would be retained, which, in turn, would ensure the construction of behavioural or subjective
instruments for balanced civil-military relations.

Security and defence of a nation requires not only a large reservoir of well-trained
military officers and men in the arts and sciences, but also an awareness among mission to be
able to function as think-tank. Thus, success in this effort depends to a large extent on the
development of mutual understanding between military officers and civillian academics.
Ignorance of the function and aims of each proffesion will inevitably lead to a repetition of the
mistakes made in the past.

C. Indonesia Defence University (IDU) as Civil-Military melting-pot

Indonesia Defense University (IDU) was established in March 11, 2009. It offers post
graduate programs for both civilllian and military officers. IDU has two faculties: 1) Faculty of
Defense Strategy; and 2) Faculty of Defence Management, with thirteen (13) study programs.
The 13 studi pograms are as follows: Total War Strategy; Assymetric Warfare; Peace and
Conflict Resolution; Defence Diplomacy; Strategy and Military Campaign, Army Defence
Strategy, Navy Defence Strategy, Air Defence Strategy, Defence Management, Disaster
management for National Security, Defence Economics, Maritime Security, Energy Security.

3
 As a state (public) university, IDU is under two ministries: Ministry of Defence, Republic
of Indonesia, and Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education, Republic of
Indonesia.

With identity, nationalism, and integrity as its motto, IDU develops its academic
activities under a differentiated development philosophy, namely a military development
environment and an academic development environment. Its mission is: 1) To prepare military
and civilian leaders who are also defense scholars with strong moral integrity and national
identity. 2) To transfer the national struggle values, which forms as the basis of the national
identity, to the future defense leaders in dealing with the changing dynamics of strategic
environment.

Student body in this academic year is 444 persons, with composition of 82 military
officers (colonel, lt.col, major, and captain) and 361 civilians and 1 civilian is from Australia
(civil servants/ government officers, media/journalist, private/company/business, NGO). The
Lecturers (Academic personnel) are also compose of military officers and civilian academics.

The focus of the curriculum is to broaden students mind --- in and across fields of
studi or discipline --- and in its ability to develop critical thinking skills, do research and analyze
problems thoroughly and to articulate the results clearly and professionally. Therefore,
academic activities are directed to stimulate intellectual awareness in an environment that
exposes the individual to a variety of ideas, problems, analyses, point of views, and
perceptions. Group discussions and direct observations of the issue/s in the field are the two
main teaching method employed so that students will be able to see from both perspectives:
social-cultural perspectives, and military/security perspectives. Exchange views and
experiences between civil and military students during the cogntive debates (discussions) will
make them able toreach a mutual understanding of the problems which confront them. Critical
orientation, tolerance for diversity and assertiveness in the profession will also be valued as a
foundation to be a leader.

C. Conclusion
University, as an institution of higher learning, has a significant role in shaping the mind
that resulted with ones ability to think critically, creatively and strategically. Therefore, it is
critical for military officers, as professionals, not only receive functional training, but must also
be engage in an education environment as in an university, for the sake of being exposed to
analytical skills and critical judgement, in addition to being exposed to diverse points of view.

University environment that has civil and military as its students can provide a strong
stimulating education experiences to endorse the general powers of the mind, and the
transmission of a shared culture and shared standard of social responsibility, needed to
cultivate think-tank. As security and defence of a nation requires not only a large reservoir of
well-trained military officers and men in the arts and sciences, but also an awareness among
mission to be able to function, thus, the development of mutual understanding between military
officers and civilians academics is essential. University, therefore, can serve as civil-military
melting pot.

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Reference:

Horn, B. (2002). Soldier/Scholar: An Irreconcilable Divide? Guest Editorial . Volume 4, No.

4 _ Winter 2001 2002

Kotze, E. & Roy, S. (1995). Civilian Participation in the Education and Development of
Military Officers. African Security Review, Vol 4 No 4, 1995.Published in
http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/asr/4No4/CivilianParticipation.html

Suradijono, S.H.R. (2010) Military Professionalism: Ethics, Inter-Cultural Competence,

and Critical Thinking Skills(A model practiced at the Indonesia Defense University (IDU)).
Presented at the ARF-Head of Defence, University, College, and Institution Meeting (HDUCIM)
. . Washington D.C. 2010.