This institute originally belonged to the War College of the National Defense University, formerly known as the Military Institute. The educational goal is to train senior commanders and staff of the National Arm forces. The main courses are "National Strategy", "Military Strategy" and "The Demeanor of a General".

In 1996, GISS was recognized by the Ministry of Education and renamed the Institute of Strategic and International Affairs. In addition, the Institute is also responsible for military exchanges. In 2014, courses for international officers were added into the program to accumulate and expand the foundation for future military exchanges and cooperation. In order to meet the actual needs of national defense affairs, the class was restructured and upgraded to the Institute of International Security. On January 1, 2022, was renamed the “College of International & National Defense Affairs”.

In the future, the newly established “College of International & National Defense Affairs" will conduct academic exchanges with relevant university institutes and think tanks in the United States, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Singapore, etc. Additionally, the college will invite scholars from well-known foreign think tanks and academic units to study at the institute and serve as visiting lecturers, so as to cultivate leaders and professionals who have both martial virtue and professions. It is projected that through this, the college will be able to enhance the research capability and the prestige of military studies.