The university focuses on the scientific and technical training of North Korea's national defense personnel.

The university was founded by Kim Il Sung in October 1964 as the National Defense College (Korean: 국방대학).

[4] In 2020, the university participated in the Party Foundation Day military parade for the first time.

[5] According to Kim Jong Un, the National Defense University deals with scientific and technical problems on the modernization of North Korea's armed forces and the development of high-tech weapons.

[6] Kim also mentioned that the university has a role in consolidating the country's status as a nuclear weapon state.