Building a strong military region defensive posture is a fundamental matter to strengthen defence capability and power of each military region and the country as a whole. This mission has a broad connotation; relates to many levels, branches, forces, and localities; and takes place in vast spaces and for a long time, thus deserving careful consideration to produce synchronous, suitable solutions.

The military region defensive posture is part of the general defensive posture of the nation, which includes elements of the national defence posture; position of military region armed forces and units in the area; the system of military, defence constructions, combat constructions; social, natural, environmental factors, and so on. Therefore, the building of interconnected, robust military region defensive posture will make direct contribution to the strengthening of defence power and firm protection of areas in each strategic direction of military regions and the country. On clearly perceiving this importance, in recent years, the Party and State, directly the Central Military Commission (CMC) and Ministry of National Defence (MND), have constantly led and directed military regions to work closely with commissions, ministries, and branches at the central level, localities, and forces concerned to implement synchronous solutions regarding the establishment of increasingly robust all-people national defence in association with the people’s security posture in order to augment defence capability in each region and the country as a whole. In fact, the military region defensive posture is made fairly strong on the basis of setting up defensive areas in provinces and cities under the direct leadership of the central government. The disposition of the armed forces is steadily adjusted in accordance with characteristics of areas and operational plans in each strategic direction and missions of each military region. The system of defensive constructions, combat bases, rear bases, economic-defence zones nationwide, especially those in key areas, border areas, at sea and on islands, is built and upgraded in an increasingly sufficient, hardened manner, which contributes to increasing defence, military power in support of national construction and defence in the new situation.

Nevertheless, outcomes of building defensive areas in provinces and cities remain uneven. They have not been closely interlocked with each other within the military region defensive posture yet. Quality of building economic-defence zones in key areas, border areas, at sea, and islands is not high. Mechanisms for mobilising resources, particularly the financial resource, have failed to match potential and advantages of each locality. Consequently, this matter deserves thorough consideration and discussion in order to propose policies and solutions to establishment of robust military region defensive posture to meet requirements of safeguarding the Fatherland in both short and long term.

First, establishing strong provincial, municipal defensive areas, closely interconnected within the military region defensive posture. A military region is structurally constituted by provinces and cities under the direct leadership of the central government in the same area. Therefore, to successfully build military region defensive posture requires to have robust defensive areas in each province and city and strengthen the connectivity between areas and zones in the general defensive posture. To do so requires first and foremost reform of contents and methodologies to educate and propagandise defence and security knowledge for all subjects and people, most notably the corps of key cadres at the provincial and district levels, cadres of commissions, departments, and branches in the political system. The education content must focus on providing basic knowledge of military, national defence, establishing and managing operations of defensive areas. It is necessary to make subjects well aware of objectives, viewpoints, mottos, missions, and solutions specified in the Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, dated 22 September 2008 of the Politburo on regulations and principles for command and coordination; elements, contents, sequences, and requirements of building, which serves to promote interconnection between the provincial, municipal defensive areas with the military region defensive posture stipulated by the Decree No. 21/2019/ND-CP, dated 22 February 2019, of the Government on building defensive areas. This will lay the foundation for identifying policies and solutions, adjusting objectives, directions, and roadmaps to ensure suitability and scientificness. Special importance must be attached to solutions that promote uniformity and robustness of province- and district-level defensive areas within the general military region defensive posture.

There needs to bring into play the role and align responsibility of the party secretaries, party committees, and leading cadres of localities with results of building and operating defensive areas and protecting the areas; continue to improve legal documents and mechanisms for mobilising resources for building defensive areas, and regulations on enhancing coordination between the People’s Army, Public Security, and the Militia and Self-Defence Force in dealing with complex defence, security situations. Responsibility of levels, branches, and armed forces for establishing and operating the defensive areas must be further specified. It is necessary to promote the role of the military region command party committee and military region command in leading and instructing the building and operation of provincial, municipal defensive areas; the role of the provincial, municipal party secretaries in their capacity as party members of the military region party committees and secretaries of the military party committees at the same level; consolidate, strengthen, and enhance leadership, command, and control of the steering committees, supply councils at the same level in defensive areas.

Second, appropriate organisation and disposition of the armed forces to leverage the power of military region defensive posture. This is one of the core elements of utmost importance, which is key to capability, power, and flexible transformation of the defensive posture in general, the military region defensive posture in particular. Therefore, apart from stepping up adjusting organisation and staffing to build an adept, compact, strong armed forces according to the Resolution No. 05-NQ/TW, dated 17 January 2022, of the Politburo, military regions need to proactively dispose the armed forces of provinces and cities, and their mobile forces in accordance with the disposition of the MND’s strategic mobile forces to formulate complete strategic positions in directions and areas. The position of the armed forces must be combined with gradually building combat constructions to form an interconnected, robust, thorny military posture, ensuring timely responding to defence, security situations in the area. Operational capability of the armed forces is to be enhanced both on land, in the air, at sea, on islands, and in cyberspace. The placement of local armed forces should be connected with each residential area. Defence constructions are to be built in combat bases, rear bases, and key defensive areas. The Militia and Self-Defence Force needs to be established in communes, wards, towns, units, and businesses to ensure both extensiveness and focus in order to enable it to play the core role in the whole people’s participation in building defensive areas and military region defensive posture. Special importance must be attached to the establishment and disposition of the mobile, standing militia and self-defence in key areas, border areas, at sea, and islands; promote operations quality of the maritime militia and self-defence force and standing militias’ combat positions on land borders. A robust reserve is to be built in connection with positions of units responsible for receiving the reserve according to unified plans and intentions in each direction and area of the military region. The People’s Army’s forces in charge of protecting the borders, waters, and islands and undertaking economic activities must be organised and deployed in areas of utmost importance in terms of national defence to create an interconnected, strong posture within the military region defensive posture. The strategic rear, strategic bases, logistic-technical bases and sub-sectors are to be established in appropriate areas.

Third, making military, defence constructions increasingly hardened and robust. Building the military region defensive posture is conducted right in peacetime, thus requiring overall, close planning suitable to socio-economic development planning and conditions of each province and city in the region. Accordingly, the building of military, defence constructions needs to be aligned with economic, cultural, social development planning of provinces and cities. The building of facilities in defensive areas should be connected with infrastructure development of each locality. There needs to focus on building and upgrading combat bases and rear bases in association with setting up operational, strategic defensive positions, logistical and technical stores, and road system. Priorities are given to defence constructions along the borders, at sea, on islands, and in strategic areas and the border patrol lane. The state management and protection of military, defence facilities must be combined closely with camouflaging and keeping military, national secrets.

Fourth, establish, develop, and promote operating quality of the economic-defence zone. This is a strategic guideline and creative feature of our Party and State in terms of combining economic development with national defence and vice versa in strategic, remote areas, border areas, at sea, and on islands. This is also a vital element of the military region defensive posture in the cause of safeguarding the Fatherland. Consequently, military regions are requested to continue to build adept, compact, effective economic-defence zones suitable to their functions and missions. Accordingly, they are to reduce intermediary phases and cut down on the strength of departments while increasing the staffing in units and forces directly involved in production. It is necessary to closely combine the strengthening of the corps of leading, commanding cadres and technical cadres at all levels with speeding up education and training to enhance knowledge and skills of economic management, economic, cultural, social development in association with strengthening national defence, security, and diplomacy; well carry out ethnic, religious policies, mass mobilisation, hunger eradication and poverty reduction; participate in building the political system at the local level; make the “people’s heart and mind posture,” area defensive posture, and military region defensive posture increasingly robust.

Functional agencies need to continue to review and recommend amendment and addition of mechanisms, policies, regulations, and rules concerning establishment and operation of economic-defence zones, which serves to create a legal basis for building, developing, and enhancing operating effectiveness of the zones. Functions and authority of the military regions to manage, direct, and operate the establishment of the economic-defence zones are to be concretised. Responsibility of party committees and authorities in the localities of economic-defence zones must be connected with results of building and operating these zones. Further reform must be taken in regulations on managing investment, coordinating and operating the establishment of economic-defence zones, attracting resources for the development of economic-defence zones. There needs to effectively implement the General planning for establishing and developing economic-defence zone through 2025, with a vision 2030, most notably in border areas, at sea, and on offshore islands (in the Spratly islands and the Southwest); advise the MND and Government to adjust the General planning and direct adjustment of detailed planning for economic-defence zones in accordance with the State budget.

Senior Colonel TRAN XUAN MANH, Commander of the 3rd Division, 1st Military Region