Unlike public universities, as a state institution with limited authority the University of Defence is the only university-type school in the Czech Republic that is not a legal entity but an element in the Ministry of Defence structure.

The available Bachelor's, Master's and doctoral degree programmes, both in full- and part-time mode, focus on military and national security fields.

The fields of science fostered at the University of Defence primarily relate to defence applied research, to forces and population protection, or the economics or medicine fields applied to military.

It is the only Czech institute where subjects such as weapons and ammunition, fighting vehicles, radars, population protection, fire support control, field surgery, radiobiology or toxicology are taught.

In 1966, the Army adopted the new framework of military personnel training and education.