Having envisioned the emerging socioeconomic and pedagogic developments allied to tertiary and higher education coupled with trends in defence and strategic studies globally, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) was contemplating on setting up a defence-related higher education entity towards the latter stage of 1970s. This idea saw its fruition with the donation of a 48-acre personal estate in Kandawala belonged to late Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala for the use of tri-services in 1980. This was the steppingstone laid to the emergence of present elite KDU complex, which was initially founded as Kotelawala Defence Academy. With the passage of time and in compliance with timely andragogical transformations, the KDU now functions with all-inclusive nine faculties, conferring highly regarded graduate and postgraduate degrees for both officer cadets of tri-services and day scholars.