A total of 600 lecturers and academic staffs of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional 'Veteran' Yogyakarta (UPNVY) participated in an advanced state defense education and training activity at the Air Force (AAU) Complex on Sunday (10/20/2019). The activity aimed to refresh the matter of defending the country and also aimed to clarify that there is no difference between lecturers and academic staffs.

This activity was divided into 4 big groups, namely rappling and down the cliff, field psychology, fession (group dynamics), and playing body questions. Hundreds of lecturers and academic staffs of UPNVY were enthusiastic in participating in this routine activity.

"In addition to students, we also have the activity for the lecturers and academic staffs. It has begun when they joined UPNVY for the first time, we asked about their commitment to Indonesian, national defense values", said the Chancellor of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional 'Veteran' Yogyakarta (UPNVY), Mohamad Irhas Effendi, on the sidelines of the activity, Sunday (10/20/2019).

There is a number of points emphasized in this state defense training, namely problem solving, social skills, cooperation, communication, tolerance, mutual understanding, and the ability to complete each other.

"This training also had a matter of togetherness, so it can close the relationship of the people in UPN 'Veterans' Yogyakarta," said the Head of PPM AAU, Major Sus Abdul Rozak.

According to him, the training in defending the country is not only asking about the attitude of defending the state, but also internalizing the attitude of defending the state in daily life. In the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, defending the country is one of the important things for the community to have.

In the era of the globalization and industrial revolution 4.0, the attitude of defending the country needs to be strengthened by one's ability to overcome complex problems. Furthermore, there are now many complex and ambiguous problems and challenges.

"For those things, we must be ready to become a complex problem solver. After that, we must be able to work together, communicate, and have good physical abilities", said Irhas.

 In the era of the industrial revolution 4.0, there is less people who have a high attitude of individualism. In the independence era, the people united to get the independence for Indonesia. However, this does not appear anymore now.

"With the current atmosphere, with the dynamics of life at the moment, (that attitude) is eroding. What I get? What you want, What I get now? If it's so, what will happen to the country ?", said Bambang Wicaksono, the Head of the Center for State Defense UPNVY.

He also gave an illustration that defending the country was like a child who needed to be taken care of and looked after. He does not close his eyes that there are many influences which are able to shake one's country's defensive attitude.

According to him, it is important to strengthen and maintain the existence of the state defense attitude in Indonesian society. By continuing to inculcate the attitude of defending the country, the community is increasingly made aware of whom he is and in which country he lives.

One of the UPNVY state defense training participants said that the training gave a special impression to the participants.

"This training is a program from UPNVY to physically prepare state defense cadres", said Singgih Saptono, the Deputy Chancellor for Student Affairs and Cooperation UPNVY. (adv)