National defense in colleges and universities is a crucial component of the nation’s overall defense strategy. It significantly influences the enhancement of national defense awareness among college students. This study develops a regression analysis model, applies likelihood estimation for parameter calculation, and uses the coefficient of determination alongside the F-test to evaluate its significance. The model analyzes factors affecting national defense education perceptions among college students and identifies cognitive variations across different statistical variables. It concludes by pinpointing shortcomings in national defense education, proposing a “three-whole-education” teaching model, and exploring innovative implementation strategies. The results show that the national defense awareness β=0.527, sig=0.000, indicating that the national defense awareness of college students plays a very crucial role in the national defense education of college students. It is followed by military training (β=0.435, sig=0.000) and again by military theory class (β=0.293, sig=0.015). This study is of great significance to the research on the construction and innovation of military training systems and the operation modes of national defense education in colleges and universities.