National defense education belongs to the category of basic quality education in the whole education system of colleges and universities. It not only has the function of "strengthening national defense concept and improving national defense consciousness", but also has a strong comprehensive educational function to promote the improvement of students' comprehensive quality.

Importance of national defense education for college students. Patriotism in College Students' National Defense Education

Patriotism is one of the deepest feelings for the motherland that people of all ethnic groups have formed and consolidated in life, labor and struggle for thousands of years. This kind of feeling is concentrated in people's national self-esteem, self-confidence and pride, and in people's noble morality and spirit in striving for and safeguarding the independence, prosperity and honor of the motherland. Patriotism is a historical category with different connotations in different stages and periods of social development. In contemporary China, patriotism and socialism are essentially the same, which is mainly reflected in the great practice of building Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Building Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the distinctive theme of patriotism in the new period. National defense education is an activity to cultivate people according to national defense needs, and it is all activities to cultivate national defense concepts for all college students in an organized and planned way in order to defend national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, resist foreign aggression, subversion and threats.

It is not difficult to see that national defense education is subordinate to patriotism in both content and object, and national defense education and patriotic education are an organic whole that is unified with each other. Therefore, national defense education is essentially patriotic education. In colleges and universities in the new period, the particularity and essential attribute of national defense education determine the extensive development of patriotism. In this sense, national defense education in colleges and universities is not only an effective carrier of patriotism education, but also a strong position of socialist ideological education.

The Importance of National Defense Education for College Students II. The Role of Patriotism Education in National Defense Education for College Students

College students' national defense education focuses on defending the motherland, carrying forward patriotic enthusiasm and spirit, and endows it with new connotations with social progress and the development of the times, thus stimulating the patriotic enthusiasm of the majority of students and enhancing their national pride, self-confidence and cohesion.

National defense education is a social activity to defend national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, resist the construction and struggle of foreign aggression and subversive threats, and impart ideas, knowledge and skills related to national defense to the whole people. National defense education, as an important part of national defense construction, includes various social activities to promote the national defense thinking, knowledge, skills and physical quality, and to help form and enhance the national defense concept and ability.