The Military and the Public Security are the two crucial forces of the people’s armed forces and the core in Fatherland protection. Therefore, maintaining the solidarity between the Military and the Public Security while unveiling, staying vigilant and combating against the plots to sow division between these two forces is our permanent and important task.

The 12^th National Congress of our Party has affirmed that: “The crucial goal of defence and security is to promote the synergy of the entire nation, political system; make the most of the international support to resolutely and persistently protect the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of the country; protect the Party, State, people and socialist regime; protect the renewal cause, industrialisation and modernisation cause, national interests; protect the nation’s culture; maintain the peaceful environment, political stability, national security, social safety and order”. As such, though each sector has their own areas of responsibility and functions, they all share the same goal. The relations between the Military and the Public Security bear revolutionary nature and inherit the tradition of solidarity and patriotism of the nation. President Ho Chi Minh once said: “The Public Security and the Military are the two hands of the people, of the Party and State”.

During their establishment, growth and task performance, the Military and Public Security have always stayed united and side by side in every mission and all locations. This is one of the main causes to their task accomplishment which contributed to the cause of national liberation, construction and defence.

Because of this, hostile forces have always tried to sow division between the Military and the Public Security by their harmful arguments aiming at undermining the strength of the armed forces and gradually removing the leadership role of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the socialist regime in the country. It is for this reason that staying vigilant and countering the plots and schemes to divide the Military and the Public Security is an important and permanent task of cadres and soldiers of the armed forces and the entire people.

To successfully accomplish this task, first of all, it is necessary to promote education and communication to make all people aware of the hostile forces’ plots and schemes. As shown in reality, the hostile forces are using increasingly sophisticated disruptive measures. They are making the most of social networks to distort the Party’s guidelines and policies or even the individual cases caused by some officials and discontented figures to defame our government.

Facing the situation, in the coming time, we should strengthen education to make each cadre and soldier have the right perception that the close coordination between the Military and the Public Security is a necessity which stems from the revolutionary nature, function and responsibility of each force under the leadership of the Party and the management of the State. The content of education should focus on the viewpoints and guidelines of the State, the policies and laws of the State which have been presented in the resolutions and directives of the Party, especially in the Central Resolution 8 (11^th tenure) on “Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new situation”, the Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW of the Politburo on “Continuing to build provinces and the central-governed cities into firm defensive zones in the new situation”, the Law on National Defence, Law on Public Security, etc. Thereby, each cadre and soldier of the two forces are made steadfast and absolutely loyal to the Party; ready to fight and sacrifice for the independence, freedom of the Fatherland, and the happiness of the people; have high ethical virtues and the sense for keeping the solidarity between the two forces; heighten their responsibility, ready to support each other during task performance.

At present, in the trend of integration, development, there are various sources of external impact on national security, sovereignty, territory of the Fatherland. Hostile forces are trying to make the most of cyber space to disseminate fake and false information to divide the Military from the Public Security. Meanwhile, the struggle against the hostile and disruptive forces' wrong viewpoints and information has yet to be adequate, hence need to be strengthened, together with education and communication. Functional organs should grasp the situation, anticipate, and soon detect the plots of separation of hostile forces so that we can soon have measures for combat. This should be put under the leadership and direction of the Party and State, party committees and authorities at all levels so that the strength of the entire political system, troops and people can be mobilised. Especially, it is necessary to promote the role of the press and mass media and have severe punishment on groups and individuals both at home and abroad who deliberately spread fake news and false information causing socials chaos and distrust between the two forces. Furthermore, it is necessary to coordinate with foreign governments and institutions to have sanctions against the violations in accordance with international conventions and Vietnam’s law.

Continue to have new contents, methods and models of struggle; “countering” should be associated with “nurturing”, i.e. the good should be promoted and disseminated to suppress the bad. The solidarity and close coordination between the Military and the Public Security should be nurtured. Thoroughly grasp the viewpoints and guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State to concretise into plans for coordination, especially in the settlement of terrorism, riot, demonstration incidents, etc. to protect the critical targets of the country. Enhance the effectiveness of coordination in political and ideological work, internal security protection; opportunely detect, combat and repel the plots of sabotage. Continue to coordinate and well implement the defence and security education work to promote the strength of the entire political system and people in the cause of national construction and defence. Periodically, have exchanges and information sharing between the two forces to better their task accomplishment.

Facing the development and situation of the world and science and technology, it is necessary to have renewals in the model, content and measure for coordination to enhance the effectiveness of task performance. In particular, it is necessary to improve the quality of information sharing, the anticipation of world, regional and domestic situations related to defence and security to have the sound recommendations to the Party and State on measures for safeguarding the national sovereignty and security, social safety and order, and defending the Fatherland from afar, not falling into passive and unforeseen situations.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Manh Dung, MA., and Colonel Dam Quang Duc, PhD.