The National Defense Academy (NDA) is an institution of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) that oversees education and training for future officers of the Japan Ground, Maritime, and Air Self Defense Forces (JSDF), as well as conducting research necessary for this purpose. In other words, it is not only an educational institution for the training of commissioned officer, but also it is a research institution. In fact, it has two graduate schools, Science and Engineering and Integrated Security Studies, and receives competitive funds such as the Great-in-Aid for Scientific Research. Above all many outstanding faculty members actively publish and disseminate excellent research results daily.
Relying on this foundation, NDA established the Center for Global Security in April 2016. This Center aims to conducts multifaceted research on a wide variety of security issues facing Japan and international community, and to disseminate its research results widely both domestically and internationally for the benefit of Japan's national security policy. The research of the Center is characterized by the following points.
First, many universities in Japan tend to avoid direct research on security and defense issues, especially their scientific and technological aspects. However, this Center will continue to study such issues head-on.
Second, NDA will fully utilize its advantage of having researchers in the fields of science and technology, humanities and social sciences, and defense studies to conduct research that integrates the humanities and sciences as well as academia and practice. In Mod and the JSDF, various research activities are conducted in a multilayered manner in several locations, including JSDF staffs, the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), and the Defense Acquisition Agency (DDA). While fully utilizing the human resources of NDA, this Center conducts research that contributes to Japan's defense policy and promotes academic understanding of security issues in general, based on a solid academic foundation.
Specific research interests include Asian and maritime security, infectious diseases, disaster prevention and crisis management, gender mental health, military professionalism, security and military operations law, and cross-domain areas (cyber and space security, dual-use technologies, etc.).
The Center will promote research and disseminate its findings in cooperation and collaboration with domestic and international research institutions. Research results are expected to be reflected in our defense policy and also to be returned to education at NDA.
We sincerely ask for your understanding and support for the Center for Global Security of the National Defense Academy.
President KUBO Fumiaki