[4] Major general, then-general Abdul Hamid Khan served as its first commandant, while brigadier Muhammad Ahmed was appointed the first chief instructor.

The discontinuation of the faculty gained attention of the authorities, and the National Defence College (NDC), a stand-alone institute was established on 28 May 1970 at Lalkurti area of Rawalpindi Cantonment.

Five years later of affiliation with Quaid university, military dictator Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the then 6th president of Pakistan signed an order in February 1980 to shift the college to the capital city Islamabad for its space expansion.

At staff, ISSRA is primarily focused on seminars, discussions, conferences, visiting briefings, and to interact with think tanks within the country.

Based on strategic thinking, it was created to run wargames focused on to execute military operation plans, disaster, and emergency management.

[14][15] Its digital library consists print material from 70,000 books, periodicals, contemporary journals, pamphlets, government and daily newspaper publications.

[11] The National Defence University's contemporary studies faculty award bachelor's, master of philosophy and doctorate degrees in various academic fields such as international relations, and public policy among others.

[16] Inputs are provided to the government and armed forces to maintains academic links with domestic and foreign think tanks and defence universities with which Pakistan shares friendly relations.

The act restrict government and other authorities to qualify or disqualify the officers, teachers, students, or any other participant associated with the university, on the grounds of their "gender, religion, race, creed, class, colour, or domicile".

[6] Throughout its history from a college to university, some of its alumni and faculty members became notable in academic, politics, military and many other varied fields.

Many Pakistani generals, including Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Ehsan ul Haq, and Raheel Sharif attended the National Defence University.

[19] Ehsan ul Haq graduated from NDU and Command and Staff College, Quetta, an affiliated institute of the university.

[23] Zafar Mahmood Abbasi is also an alumnus of the university[24] while Amjad Khan Niazi graduated from NDU and Command and Staff College.