To create and promote the strength of the all-people force and the armed forces to firmly protect the Fatherland, the Vietnam National Defence White Paper published in 2019 specifies that “Vietnam advocates building the all-people national defence forces...; promotes the synergy of the whole people to build national defence forces to protect the Fatherland...” This is the Party’s consistent view which needs to be thoroughly grasped and implemented in practice through multiple synchronous and effective solutions.

Being deeply aware of the role of the all-people force - the largest, most timely, and fastest force and the most solid support of Vietnam’s national defence, in recent years, particularly in nearly 10 years of implementation of Resolution No.28-NQ/TW issued on October 25th, 2013 by the Central Party Committee (11th Tenure) on the “Strategy for protecting the Fatherland in the new situation”, the building of the all-people force to protect the Fatherland has always been paid attention and cared for by the Party, State, ministries, branches, and localities through multiple synchronous and appropriate solutions, and achieved important results.

Notably, the all-people force to protect the Fatherland has been comprehensively built in ministries, branches, sectors, and levels in accordance with the conditions of the socialist-oriented market economy, socio-economic organisations, and each localities. The propagation and education on building and promoting the role of the all-people force involved in protecting the Fatherland have been renewed and improved to make positive changes in the awareness and sense of responsibility of the whole political system, the whole people, and the whole army towards this task. The mechanisms and policies on building and mobilisation of the all-people forces to participate in protecting the Fatherland have been gradually studied and supplemented to make it suitable to the practical conditions of all levels, branches, and localities. Accordingly, the all-people force has promoted well its role in building the all-people national defence, all-people national defence posture in association with the people's security posture, and solid provincial and municipal defence zones; struggling to defeat all plots and tricks of “peaceful evolution” and subversive riots and preventing internal “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, non-traditional security threats, cyber warfare; and firmly protecting the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, Party, State, People, and the socialist regime.

However, besides the achievements, parts of cadres, Party members, and people, even the heads of party committees of some ministries, branches, and localities, about this task haven’t shown adequate awareness and due attention for this task. There remain some inappropriate terms in the regimes, policies, and laws on building the all-people force to protect the Fatherland that fails to bring into full play the role and strength of the masses in national defence strengthening, defence struggling, and protection of the Fatherland.

In the coming years, peace, cooperation, and development are still the main trend, but the situation in the world and the region continues to be complicated. In particular, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has been affecting every country in the world, including Vietnam. The East Sea still contains many potential risks of instability. Domestically, the security, political, economic, and social situations... are basically stable but also facing difficulties and challenges, especially the task of protecting the sovereignty of borders, seas, and islands. Hostile forces continue promoting the strategies of “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” internally to oppose the revolution of the country in all fields. In that context, all levels, branches, and localities need to continue to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Party's resolutions and directives on military and defence, particularly the undertaking of building an all-people force to protect the Fatherland through strong political determination and synchronous and appropriate solutions.

Firstly, to strengthen the leadership and direction of Party committees, authorities, and heads of all levels, branches, and localities in building the all-people force to protect the Fatherland. In fact, the leadership of the Party committees and authorities, especially the presiding cadres at all levels, is decisive to gather and promote the great strength of the people to participate in the implementation of national defence tasks and protection of the Fatherland and vice versa. Therefore, all levels, branches, localities, agencies, and organisations should focus on thoroughly and seriously implementing resolutions and conclusions of the Party and the Central Military Commission on national defence construction and consolidation and protection of the Fatherland, thereby, to actively formulate plans, implement policies and measures for leading and directing closely, correctly, promptly, creatively, and effectively, and build the all-people force to protect the Fatherland to be strong and widespread under the socialist-oriented market economy, types of economic and social organisations, and conditions of each region.

Secondly, to promote the propagation and education to raise the awareness and sense of responsibility of all levels, branches, and people of all strata for the tasks of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland.  In recent years, thoroughly grasping the Resolutions and Directives of the Party, the propagation and education on building the all-people force to protect the Fatherland have been conducted regularly and initially, and achieved positive results, especially in the implementing movements of all people participating in protecting sovereignty, border security, crime prevention, etc. However, in fact, this work has yet to be comprehensive and fully and timely updated with new contents on national defence, security, partners, adversaries, the building of the all-people force to protect the Fatherland... so the awareness and sense of responsibility of a part of cadres, Party members and people for this task haven’t met requirement. To overcome these limitations, all levels, branches, and localities must drastically renovate the content, forms, and methods of propagation and education and consider the quantity and quality of participants and the performance of the tasks of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland the highest goal. The contents of propagation and education must be comprehensive but focused and concentrated. It is advisable to combine traditional education with education on the tasks of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland and pay attention to arousing national pride in the spirit that “to protect the Fatherland, all people are soldiers”, “all-people and comprehensive resistance”... to make people of all strata deeply aware that the implementation of the tasks of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland is necessarily objective and the responsibility of everyone, every family, every agency, and every organisation. At the same time, it should be concentrated on propagating and disseminating people to firmly grasp the views and guidelines of the Party and policies and laws of the State on the tasks of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland, particularly the view of building the all-people force to protect the Fatherland; contents and methods of building the all-people national defence, defence and security struggling; responsibilities and obligations of citizens for the tasks of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland, etc. The educational process must be regularly updated and supplemented with new contents on national defence and security to suit the development of practice, create the unity of awareness and action, and meet the requirements of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Forms and methods of propagation and education must be rich, attractive, understandable, memorable, applicable, and suitable for each object and promote the role of central and local media, press, radio and television agencies, rapporteurs, propagandists, internal radios...; resolutely avoid the formality, cliché, and non-substance.

Finally, to pay attention to economic, cultural, and social development and improving people's lives to create premises and motivations for people to self-consciously participate in national defence building and struggling, security, and protection of the Fatherland.  In order to build the all-people force to firmly protect the Fatherland in all situations, all levels, branches, and forces, from the Central to localities, must focus on solutions for economic, cultural, and social development, improve the material and spiritual life of the people, build the “people’s heart-and-mind posture”, and create a solid foundation to strengthen the political, spiritual, material potentials for national defence and security. At the same time, it is necessary to create motivations for people of all strata to participate in fulfilling the task of protecting the Fatherland. Over the past time, although the Party, State, levels, sectors, and localities have taken care of, the life of a part of the people, especially those in remote areas, borders, and islands, ... still have many difficulties, that requires the building of the all-people force to protect the Fatherland to be drastically implemented with solutions for economic and cultural development, improvement of the quality of policies for social welfare, hunger elimination, poverty reduction, ethnicity, and religion. It is also necessary to associate economic growth with the strengthening of national defence and security, expansion of foreign affairs, cultural development, and implementation of social progress and justice in each development step and policy, to make the people trust, participate, and devote their physical and material resources to the task of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland. In the current situation, it is necessary to focus on developing the marine economy in association with protecting sea and island sovereignty by the all-people posture and force, while considering the armed forces as the core; combine economic development and improvement of people's lives with the struggle to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people; and raise people’s vigilance to avoid being tricked by the enemy's plots and involve them in the struggle to protect the undertakings and guidelines for building the all-people force and armed forces, strengthening national defence power, and protecting the Fatherland.

Building the all-people force to protect the Fatherland represents an important strategic task that requires all central and local levels and branches to thoroughly grasp and implement through multiple appropriate solutions to promote the great strength of the people for the cause of national defence consolidation and struggling and protection of the Fatherland in the new situation.

Major General, Assoc Prof, PhD. NGO TRONG CUONG, National Defence Academy