Corps 15 is tasked with production, business, and socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation in the strategic Central Highlands and the province of Quang Binh. It also implements projects on developing rubber trees in Laos and Cambodia. In the corps’ stationed areas, weather and climate conditions are extremely harsh, socio-economic infrastructures are limited, and the people face a lot of difficulties in their daily life. Those challenges together with COVID-19 pandemic have negatively impacted on the corps’ task performance and production chains. More seriously, social distancing measures in many localities have caused numerous difficulties for the consumption of rubber and coffee products. Against that backdrop, under the motto of “taking the initiative, flexibly developing plans, and maintaining safe production,” the Corps’ Party Committee and Command have synchronously, drastically implemented measures to successfully fulfil the “dual goals,” namely “training, combat readiness, and continuous production” and “pandemic prevention and control,” take good care of cadres, soldiers, and workers’ life and health, and make contributions to facilitating socio-economic development in the corps’ stationed areas.

Rubber tapping

Since the beginning of 2021, the Corps’ Party Committee and Command have directed affiliated units to formulate their production and business plans in adaptation to the pandemic. Moreover, the corps’ affiliated units have been required to proactively prepare materials and fertilisers and apply scientific and technical advances to raising productivity, improving the quality of plantations, and effectively exploiting production lines. It should be noted that the Corps’ Party Committee and Command have proactively, opportunely implemented proper measures to respond to the complex developments of the 4^th wave of COVID-19, identified specific targets and road map, and designed scenarios for the worse developments of the pandemic. The corps has placed emphasis on directing its affiliates to establish “corporate green zones,” turn each production team into a “stronghold” for safe production and business, and strictly implement regulations on pandemic prevention and control. Besides, the corps has transported and provided food and drinking water for each production team and residential area in order to both maintain production and stabilise market prices for its workers during periods of social distancing within localities. The corps’ latex processing plants have proactively developed production scenarios and plans in accordance with each degree of COVID-19 to ensure the absolute safety of their production. In the pandemic-hit areas, the corps has adopted the “three-on-the-spot” model (eating, resting, and working on the spot) or alternated work shift to guarantee social distancing within its affiliates.

Under the guidelines on “fighting the pandemic like fighting enemies,” the corps has activated its COVID-19 prevention and control system at the highest level in order to prevent the pandemic from penetrating into its affiliates and communities. It has opportunely directed Military Hospital 15 and infirmaries to screen troops and citizens for COVID-19 prior to medical examination and treatment. It has established two large-scale medical quarantine zones for more than 1,500 people. While stringently implementing regulations on pandemic prevention and control in each office, unit, plant, and production team, the corps has cooperated with localities in combating the pandemic from afar. Significance has been attached to collaborating with local medical forces in educating ethnic minority people on COVID-19 pandemic and measures of prevention and control and encouraging the people to comply with regulations on keeping the pandemic under control, especially the “5K” message, not to violate the border, and not to buy or sell wild animals. At the same time, the corps has proactively assisted localities in disinfecting public places and positions related to COVID-19. It has given thousands of gifts and a large amount of supplies, medical face masks, and sanitiser to its cadres, soldiers, and workers, citizens, and checkpoints to contribute to intensifying social distancing measures. It is worth noting that the corps has helped peasants of Bac Giang and Hung Yen provinces to consume 9.3 tons of lychees and presented frontline forces of Military Region 7 and Military Hospital 175 with 10 tons of rice, 160 kilogrammes of coffee, and 5 tons of vegetables.

In order to build up a sense of responsibility and determination to overcome difficulties in production and business, the corps has frequently carried out the work of political and ideological education for its staff members. It has adopted various methods and forms of education in accordance with each group of units and each group of staff members to encourage its cadres, employees, and workers to surmount difficulties and fulfil their task via benefits reaped from effective pandemic prevention and control, efficient production and business as well as stable employments and incomes. In addition, it has required key cadres to raise their role model-setting responsibility and encouraged its party members to set good examples for the masses and workers to follow. At the same time, it has resolutely fought against ideological deviations, wrongdoings, fearfulness of difficulties, hardships, and renewal in production and business as well as irresponsibility for pandemic prevention and control. Moreover, it has attached importance to enhancing the Determination to Win Emulation Movement in tandem with campaigns and emulation movements launched by sectors, particularly the Campaign titled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period. Emphasis has been placed on executing the movements, namely “staying awake through workers’ night shifts,” “good labour, creative labour,” and “improving workmanship, emulating skilled workers” to encourage the corps’ cadres, soldiers, and workers to keep studying and bettering their skills and increase the corps’ productivity.

Helping the people to harvest rice

In spite of difficulties, the corps has comprehensively performed its military-defence work. It has organised training courses and exercises relevant to projects on building defensive zones. It has directed its offices and units to develop, adjust, and supplement combat readiness documents under regulations, maintain search and rescue duty, and cooperate with other forces in readily taking part in dealing with situations under the “four-on-the-spot” and “three-readiness” mottos. It has frequently reviewed and supplemented plans on coordination with the provincial military commands of Gia Lai and Kon Tum in employing personnel and means for natural disaster response and search and rescue. It has cooperated with Military Region 5 and provincial border guards of Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and Quang Binh as well as the Public Security Force under the Government’s Decree 03/2019/NĐ-CP, dated September 5^th, 2019 on cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defence to protect national security, maintain social order and safety, prevent and combat crime, and perform defence task. At the same time, it has enhanced the work of diplomacy and propagation relating to the border building, created employments for citizens, stabilised the people’s life, and fostered relations with Laos and Cambodia. In spite of a lot of difficulties and challenges in 2021, with a sense of responsibility, creativity, the spirit of daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility, daring to renew, and daring to face difficulties as well as a consensus amongst its staff members and assistance from local party committees, authorities, and citizens, the corps successfully fulfilled its “dual goals” and obtained remarkable achievements in production and business. Many affiliates of the corps exceeded the targets of production assigned by higher echelons in 2021. Typical examples included Binh Duong company, company 732, company 75, branch 716, branch 79, and regiment 710; they made significant contributions to implementing the corps’ general production plan with a yield of more than 44,000 tons of rubber latex, the average productivity of 1.8 ton per hectare, and the per capita income of 6.3 – 8 million VND per month.

In the upcoming time, under regulations on safe, flexible adaptation to and effective control over COVID-19 pandemic, the corps will continue grasping and effectively executing resolutions and directives by the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence, especially the Resolution of the Corps’ 8^th Party Congress. Emphasis will be placed on raising the quality of military-defence task, production, and business, closely organising training courses and exercises, building a “strong, extensive” militia and self-defence force, and reviewing and supplementing combat readiness projects and coordination regulations to contribute to maintaining political security and social order and safety in the corps’ stationed areas as the basis for boosting production and business. The corps will develop its production and business plans flexibly and effectively. Importance will be attached to optimising production and business procedures and technologies. Priority will be given to developing and modernising socio-economic infrastructures of localities and units, and promoting joint venture to manufacture new products and meet market needs, create more employments, and increase workers’ income. The corps will formulate projects to effectively use resources and flexibly, safely adapt to COVID-19 pandemic in the new situation.

Bringing into play the glorious tradition of “remaining steadfastness in goals, overcoming all difficulties, maintaining a close-knit bond with the people, upholding creativity, diligence, unity, and determination to win,” cadres, soldiers, and workers of Corps 15 will focus on building a comprehensively strong corps to contribute to the Central Highlands’ socio-economic development and defence-security consolidation.

Sr. Col. HOANG VAN SY, Commander of Corps 15