<![CDATA[Cadet selection in defense institutions requires a comprehensive assessment process because it must cover the academic, psychological, health, physical, and ideological integrity aspects of prospective participants. This multidimensional complexity poses challenges in producing decisions that are objective, consistent, and free from assessor bias. Therefore, a quantitative approach-based evaluation model is needed that can integrate all assessment components in a measurable manner. This study developed a cadet selection decision-making model using a combination of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methods. AHP is used to determine the weight of importance of the seven main criteria: Academic Potential Test, Academic Interview, Psychological Test, Ideological Mental Test, Ideological Mental Interview, Health Test, and Physical Test, while TOPSIS is used to determine the ranking of candidates based on their proximity to the ideal profile of a cadet. The results of the study show that the integration of AHP–TOPSIS is able to provide evaluation results that are more objective, transparent, and accountable than conventional assessments. In addition to formulating a selection model, this study also discusses alternative methods in multi-criteria decision making as material for developing a selection system in the future. Overall, this model is expected to become a scientific basis for defense institutions in improving the quality and accuracy of the cadet selection process.]]>
