Building partnerships in national security education

On 1 April 2024, NSC welcomed colleagues from Cambodia’s National Defense University (NDU) for a roundtable on national security education.

The visit brought together defence, governance, policing and public policy experts from across ANU, to share ideas on how education can better support practitioners working across government, security agencies, and industry.

 The discussion also included:

• Integration of academia and industry into national security education and training.
• Meeting public-private interests, curricula design to address modernisation, emphasising international cooperation and capacity-building.
• Development of indigenous industries and role of universities in bridging research gaps.
• Teaching methods for experienced practitioners, using blends of professional education and executive development, and leadership.

Insights from the roundtable will help inform NDU’s plans for a new modular national security curriculum – a key priority for Cambodia’s leadership.

We would like to extend our thanks to Lieutenant General Sopha Dok, Proctor and Head of NDU, Brigadier General Cheysothearith Keo, Deputy Director of the College of Social Sciences and Languages (CSSL), NDU, Lieutenant Colonel Manghout Ki, Instructor, CSSL, NDU and to the ANU experts, for their participation in this roundtable.