The National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM; Malay: Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia) is a military university located in Sungai Besi Camp, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The university is Malaysia’s first catering to the needs and development of the Malaysian Armed Forces.There are around 2,700 undergraduate students, with over 890 of them Officer Cadets that undergo four to five years of training.

UPNM was originally Akademi Tentera Malaysia (ATMA), or the Malaysian Armed Forces Academy, which was established on 1 June 1995. It was an organisation that offered bachelor’s degrees in the fields of engineering, sciences and managements, with military training. The bachelor’s degree courses were accredited and awarded by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in the beginning. The lecturers came from within the armed forces, some hired by the academy and the rest deputised by UTM.

On 10 November 2006, ATMA was upgraded to university status creating the current UPNM. The establishment of the university was announced by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the Budget 2007 reading in the Malaysian Parliament. The setting up of the university cost RM 500 million and was fully borne by the Government of Malaysia. The university’s first intake of students was for the 2007/2008 session. UPNM’s main campus is at the Sungai Besi Camp in Kuala Lumpur. The campus was completed in 2002 as part of ATMA.

Every mid-semester, the young men and women train at the campus camp; campus fields for physical trainings, 1RAMD obstacle course and shooting range for obstacle course exercise and shooting practice, and RMC’s parade ground for drills. In this six-week part of LKU at the campus, the cadets are introduced to a basic firearms and training exercises. The battalions are in command of appointed rank holders and final year cadets. The super-seniors are in officer positions such as Platoon leader and Company commanders. At the end of the six-week UKMHK session, awards are given out to the best battalion based on the best performance at each training site.