Saturday, May 21, 2022, 22:29 (GMT+7)
Building inter-connected, solid military region defensive postures in strategic areas and nationwide

Military region defensive postures constitute the all-people national defence posture on a national scale, playing a role of paramount importance to stabilising each strategic direction in the country’s general defensive posture. Therefore, this issue should continue to be thoroughly researched, while due attention should be paid to proposing scientific, practical measures to make contributions to increasing the country’s defence power and firmly protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Building inter-connected, solid military region defensive postures in strategic areas and nationwide acts as a determinant to the stability of the all-people national defence posture for the sake of the Fatherland protection. Over the years, under the Party’s guidelines on building a strong all-people national defence, military region defensive postures have been gradually constructed in line with national and local planning and a close combination of socio-economic, cultural development and defence and security consolidation; some strategic regions and areas have been politically strong, economically prosperous, powerful in defence and security terms, and exemplary in social and cultural terms. Local party committees and authorities have formulated guidelines and measures to make defensive zones in general and defensive postures in particular more comprehensive and stronger, thus meeting the requirements of independent, self-reliant, on-the-spot defence but remaining associated with military region defensive postures. Defensive works, combat bases, rear bases, and logistics and  technical depots have been step by step constructed in accordance with the defence of strategic regions and areas and the armed forces’ fighting  arts. Up to now, 28 economic – defence zones have been built in strategic land border areas and at sea, thereby contributing to forming an inter-connected, solid defensive posture on a national scale and promoting the country’s synergy to protect the Fatherland from afar.

However, the quality of the building of defensive zones in several provinces and municipalities is still limited. Mechanisms for leadership over the building and operation of defensive zones have been slowly reviewed and developed. Budget for constructing military and defence works in defensive zones has yet to be in accordance with localities’ potential and strengths; there has been a lack of uniformity of those works across the country. Coordination to deal with complex situations at grass-roots level in some places has been still poor. The quality of the building of economic – defence zones in mountainous, sea, island areas has been low.

In the upcoming years, the situation on a global and regional scale will witness rapid, unpredictable developments. The East Sea will continue to be complex. Domestically, hostile forces will step up their sabotage strategy, while rural security, economic security, and cyber security issues together with other non-traditional security challenges will be on the rise. Hence, in order to contribute to firmly protecting our Fatherland, this article puts forward some measures to raise the quality and effectiveness of building military region defensive postures.

1. Build provincial-level defensive zones with comprehensive strength and solidity to guarantee independent, self-reliant, on-the-spot defence in a close association with military region defensive postures. Provincial-level defensive zones act as an integral part of the general defensive system of military regions and the entire country, holding a position of strategic importance to the Fatherland construction and protection. In order to build strong provincial-level defensive zones closely associated with military region defensive postures, it is essential to continue improving the quality and effectiveness of defence and security education for all citizens, particularly key leaders of provinces, districts, departments, and sectors so that they will be able to lead and direct the building and operation of all-level defensive zones. Emphasis should be placed on equipping citizens and cadres with basic knowledge of military and defence work, the building and operation of defensive zones, and localities’ creative, effective approaches so as to raise public awareness and bring into play the “posture of people’s hearts and minds” towards the building of defensive zones in each area and nationwide.

Moreover, importance should be attached to promoting the role of military regions’ party committees and commands and secretaries of provincial-level party committees as members of military regions’ party committees in leading and directing the building of defensive zones, enhancing party committees’ leadership and authorities’ management, and improving military, public security, and border guard offices’ capabilities in counselling and guiding the building of military postures in defensive zones to ensure independent, self-reliant, on-the-spot defence, a close association with military region defensive postures, and a high level of uniformity in the determination to protect the Fatherland. It is necessary to complete legal normative documents and regulations on coordination between forces to mobilise resources for the building and operation of defensive zones, with the armed forces playing a core role in settling defence and security situations and protecting areas. Besides, due attention should be paid to consolidating steering boards on military region defence and defensive zone supply councils and strictly adhering to four-on-the-spot motto.

2. Step up the construction of military and defence works and increase the comprehensiveness and solidity of military region defensive postures and the all-people national defence posture. This is a breakthrough measure aimed at creating tangible elements for the total planning of military region defensive postures. To that end, competent offices of military regions should adhere to directions by the General Staff, instructions by the Department of Operations, and characteristics of each province and municipality to advise military regions’ party committees and commands on improving the quality of plans on building military region defensive postures on the basis of provincial-level defensive postures, while both realising and adjusting such plans under the country’s general defensive combat intention and make those plans relevant to localities’ socio-economic conditions and residential disposition according to the requirements of on-the-spot combat, strengths and fighting art of military regions’ armed forces, and opponents’ modern combat methods. Great value should be attached to constructing military and defence works in line with provincial-level socio-economic, cultural plans/strategies and aligning local infrastructural development with constructions in defensive zones. It is important to step up the building of defensive works, combat bases, and rear bases in tandem with the construction of strategic, campaign-level key positions, strategic logistics and technical bases, and routes in peacetime; there should be plans for expansion and supplementation in the event of a war. Priority should be given to constructing defensive works in strategic border, sea, island areas (Eastern Truong Son trail and border patrol road). It is essential to build and consolidate defensive works at sea and on islands and establish several logistics service centres for exploiting marine natural resources, with a view to increasing civil and economic components and the legality of national sovereignty over seas and islands. In the construction process, great weight should be added to guaranteeing manoeuvrability, reinforcement capacity, and a coast-sea-island posture and closely organising forces, weapons, equipment, and new means of combat on the ground, at sea, in the air, and in cyberspace.

3. Construct and develop economic - defence zones in key border, sea, island areas. Economic - defence units performing their function as an army ready for production should focus on streamlining their organisational structure and increasing their productivity and efficiency of production and business, with priority given to staffing units and forces in charge of production. Due attention should be paid to organising refresher courses for leaders, commanders, professional cadres, local cadres, and young intellectual volunteers to improve their capabilities in economic management and development and their knowledge of combining socio-economic, cultural development with defence and security consolidation and diplomacy. It is necessary to well implement policies on ethnicity and religion, well perform mass mobilisation work, help the people with hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and actively take part in building political bases and consolidating the “posture of people’s hearts and minds” and defensive zone postures.

Competent offices of the Ministry of National Defence should continue reviewing, amending, and adjusting legal normative documents, mechanisms, policies, and regulations to create a favourable legal corridor for building, developing, and improving economic - defence zones. Emphasis should be placed on renewing mechanisms for attracting and managing investments, coordinating and operating the building of economic - defence zones, and mobilising human and material resources of the State and enterprises for economic - defence corps, particularly in key border, sea, island areas. Due regard should be paid to institutionalising functions, tasks, and authority of offices of the Ministry of National Defence, military regions, and corps in managing, directing, and operating the building of economic - defence zones. It is important to clearly define political tasks and functions of production and business amongst a number of enterprises under economic - defence corps. It is essential to realise the Master Plan for building and developing economic - defence zones towards 2025, with orientations towards 2030, especially on Truong Sa Islands and in the Southwest according to the Politburo’s Conclusion 10-KL/TW, dated July 8th, 2021 on “increasing defence and security potential associated with socio-economic development in the strategic Southwest”. Significance should be attached to proactively formulating and adjusting detailed plans for economic - defence zones in accordance with military region defensive postures, strategic directions, budget allocation, and characteristics of areas, synchronising and strengthening infrastructures and dual-purpose works, and rearranging residential areas and accommodation to protect life and assets of staff members of economic - defence units and citizens during natural disasters, enable the people to settle down in strategic border, sea, island areas, and make contributions to building inter-connected, strong military region defensive postures in strategic directions and nationwide for the sake of the Fatherland protection in all situations.

Maj. Gen. DAO TUAN ANH

Deputy Commandant of the National Defence Academy

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