On thoroughly grasping the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines on executing the two strategic tasks of building and safeguarding the Fatherland, together with promoting the development of economy, culture, society, etc., Hung Yen Province has paid attention to well leading and directing the local defence and security tasks, the construction of strong all-people national defence, stable all-level defence zones; of which, improving the quality of the militia and self-defence force has been much concerned by the Province from grasping, directing and guiding to implementing with many practical and effective solutions.

At first, the Province has attentively enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness in all-level party committees and governments’ leadership, direction and execution of building the militia and self-defence force. On the basis of grasping the Party’s resolutions, directions, the Law on Militia and self-defence force, and the Military Region 3’s plans and instructions, the Provincial Military Command has coordinated with services and departments to advise and help the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee build and issue documents on leading and directing the construction of the militia and self-defence force; promote the propaganda and dissemination within offices, units, organisations, etc. to raise the awareness and responsibility for cadres, party members, especially the leading cadres at all levels, mobilise the involvement of the whole political system and people in implementing this task; at the same time, advise to build the Project on “Organising the forces, training, activities and assurance of the policies for the militia and self-defence force in the 2021-2025 period”, and direct, guide the military offices at all levels to advise the party committees, governments, offices and organisations with guidelines and solutions for building the militia and self-defence force suitably with the reality and in high quality.

The militia and self-defence force is the one connected to the production, “the troops among the people”, the direct, fastest, timeliest and the most effective force in solving the situations of defence and security at the grassroots. However, to make ends meet, parts of civilians at their age of enlistment have worked far away from their home and for long time, which has greatly affected the construction and activities of the militia and self-defence force. To overcome this difficulty, the Province has enhanced the management, strictly directed the process of building the militia and self-defence force from the grassroots level. Closely following the Law on Militia and self-defence force and the issued Project, annually, the Provincial Military Command has directed the communal military commands to closely check, register and manage civilians who are at their age of joining the militia and self-defence force, at the same time, advised the local party committees and governments to select, appoint and dismiss cadres, admit new members and grant certificate of completing the duties in a formal, public and democratic way.

Following the Province’s directions, recently, localities have enhanced the construction of exemplary models and units of militia and self-defence force; attentively built the mobile militia, arms militia and the self-defence forces in offices and enterprises suitably with the features of each locality. To improve the effectiveness of building the self-defence forces in the foreign-invested enterprises, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Province to promote the training of defence and security knowledge for the enterprise owners including the content of building the militia and self-defence force; direct the local party committees, governments and military offices to directly check, meet and instruct he making of plan, and cary out guard and watch to prevent fire and explosion; train the plans of protecting the enterprises, through which, to change their awareness and create the conditions for establishing and maintaining the activities of the self-defence units. Besides, the Province has regularly consolidated and maintained the activities of the military party cells at the communal levels, improved the counseling, leading and directing ability of the defence and military work, and created sources of party members in the militia and self-defence force. Besides, the Provincial Military Command has advised and directed the localities to actively make sources of military commanders in communes, wards, and towns at the military intermediate and tertiary level connected with planning and making sources of local cadres. As a result, so far, Hung Yen Province has built 366 militia and self-defence force units (09 of which are models) with high political quality, making 1.45% of the total population; 100% communes have established the military party cells, the military commands have appointed enough positions according to the regulations, well proved the counseling role, and built the militia and self-defence force at the grassroots.

Training of militia of Van Lam District

Together, improving the quality of training and activities of the militia and self-defence force has been considered by the Province as the breakthrough. Annually, before the training, the Province has directed the localities to check the organisation and staff, well prepare the forces, materials, models, teaching aids, training and drill grounds, and organise the training for communal military commands, militia and self-defence units and village chiefs. To gain high effectiveness, the Provincial Military Command has invited teachers from the  Military Region 3’s Military School, assigned leaders of services, departments and the Military Commands to give lessons, systematise and upgrade new knowledge in order to raise the awareness and responsibility for organising the training; directed the district military commands to strictly organise the training at their level. Despite the difficulty in assuring the number for training as most of militiamen have been working in the production lines in enterprises, which requires tight schedules, the Province has directed the district military commands to build plans, early inform the training time to the localities and enterprises so that they could proactively arrange their production, create conditions for workers, who are militiamen, to attend the training or assign the substitutes, at the same time, advise the Province and coordinate with the local party committees and governments, enterprises in the localities to invest in the materials, training and drill grounds, improve the training quality for these forces. Specifically in 2023, the Province spent VND 1 billion and over 1,000 working days fixing the training and drill grounds; repaired and made 2,650 teaching aids to be suitable with training reality; opened 07 training classes for 864 cadres and training staff, the localities organised 20 classes for over 2,700 participants with all having high results.

In the training, the Province has closely followed the “basic, practical and quality” motto, attentively reformed the training contents and methods to be suitable with the weapons, equipment, tasks and reality of the localities; maintained the training in echelon; closely coordinated between the military training with political education, law dissemination and education, providing new knowledge of defence and security, and carrying out the public relations work; attentively trained the militia and self-defence force with the infantry tactics and techniques, mastery of weapons, tools and equipment, plans for fighting on the spot, plans for coordinating with the Police to keep the political security, social order and safety in the localities. To improve the training quality, the Province has specially used the training method of comparing the old and new models, weapons and equipment; intensely organised competitions, contests, inspection and learning from experience; mobilised the militia and self-defence forces to join the provincial and district-level exercises of defence zones, communal defence exercises in order to improve the comprehensive ability for cadres and soldiers. In 2023, the Province completed the training programs for over 96% militiamen; mobilised about 3,600 of them to join the district-level defence zones and communal defence exercises; organised and participated 25 contests and competitions with high results; been the first province in the Military Region to organise the contest for the militiamen for the first time for 100% communes, wards and towns. Especially, the Province has successfully organised the  “The beauty of Vietnamese militia and self-defence force” Contest; established the team to join the Contest organised by the Military and won the Third Prize, which has been highly appreciated by the Department of Militia and Self-defence force.

Together with improving the training quality, the militia and self-defence force has regularly maintained the combat readiness; organised the patrol to guard the assigned targets; taken part in dealing with issues to avoid the “hot spots” to contribute to the stable maintenance of political security and social order and safety, at the same time, actively participated in carrying out the campaigns, emulation movements, building the new-style rural areas, policies for the army rear, etc., deserving to be the firm support for the local and grassroots-level party committees, governments and people.

Besides, the province has well assured the regulations and policies for the militia and self-defence force. Basing on the Law on Militia and Self-defence force and the approved projects, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Province to pay and support militiamen for attending the training and doing their duties; pay the responsibility allowances for cadres of the communal military commands, militia and self-defence units, and purchase equipment, uniforms and support tools for them, at the same time, directed the military offices at all levels to coordinate with grassroots party committees and governments to visit and present gifts to the militiamen who are in difficult conditions. Especially, to meet the demands for the tasks of training and combat readiness, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Province to locate the defence lands with the size of hundreds of hectares; adjust the medium-term fund in the 2023-2025 period to build the provincial training centre for militia and self-defence force, the reserve, and the working offices for the communal military commands. Presently, the Province has been completing the working office for Dong Ket communal military command in Khoai Chau district so that the Military Region could draw experience and replicate the model of effectiveness and utilities.

Together with synchronously carrying out the above solutions, Hung Yen province has built the really “strong, extensive” militia and self-defence force, contributing to the completion of the tasks of military and defence and building the strong all-people national defence. Being acknowledged with this achievement, the Provincial Armed Forces, in 2023, was awarded by the Ministry of Natioal Defence the Certificate of merit on building the exemplary models of militia and self-defence force, contributing to the cause of strengthening the national defence, building and safeguarding the Fatherland. This is the basis and favourable condition for the Province to promote the socio-economic development connected with the reinforcement of defence and security, and build the rich, beautiful and civilised homeland.

Senior Colonel TO THANH QUYET, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Commander of the Provincial Military Command