The Party always attaches much importance to the training and retraining of cadres. In response to the requirements of Homeland protection in the new situation, it is crucially important to introduce measures for the enhanced quality of training and retraining cadres within the military, making them fully capable of their assigned tasks.

Due to the military’s functions and assigned tasks and the particularity of military activities, the enhanced quality of military cadres in managerial and commanding posts often results from their working position-oriented training and retraining linked with their academic qualifications in order to achieve the dual objective: theoretical and practical knowledge.

Over the past years, the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres has gained significant achievements. Military-run academic institutions have always put great store by renovating and perfecting their curricula and methodologies, ceaselessly introducing the latest developments in modern military science and military art into their teaching. As a result, the quality of military cadres has been increasingly improved as evidenced by their enhanced managerial and commanding capabilities and their promotion.

However, there remain shortcomings in the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres. Overlaps in some curricula among education levels within the military have yet to be redressed. There have been few bridge programs between military-run academic institutions while curriculum contents among education levels are yet to be interrelated to some extent. A segment of managerial cadres and lecturers in military-run academic institutions lack hands-on experiences, making them incapable of their assigned tasks. Against this backdrop, for the sake of the enhanced quality of the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres, the following measures should be adopted.

First, continuing to standardize curricula in line with working positions held by military cadres. This is a decisive factor in the enhanced quality of the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres. As a result, military-run academic institutions should thoroughly grasp guidelines by the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence and functional agencies on standardizing curricula in line with working positions held by military cadres. At the grassroots level, curriculum contents should be fundamental enough for learners from platoons, companies and battalions to be well capable of their assigned tasks. At the tactical and operational levels, the training and retraining should be oriented towards the application of curriculum contents, thereby developing the ability of learners from regiments and divisions to identify and solve problems arising from their managerial and commanding posts in reality. At the operational and strategic levels, the training and retraining should enable military cadres “to provide practical advice for the higher echelons on policy making at the strategic level” as stated in the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 769 - NQ/QUTW, dated December 21st, 2012 on “building the contingent of military cadres in the 2013-2020 period and beyond”. Military cadres who are trained and retrained at the operational and strategic levels have the ability to identify, predict and make prudent decisions on major issues. Measures introduced by those cadres cover not only military affairs but also socio-economic, political and cultural ones. As a result, the training and retraining is to make them “possess enough virtues, capabilities and prestige to be capable of their tasks” in accordance with the resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 7^th plenum. Nowadays, amidst advances in military science and military art, curriculum contents earmarked for such majors as command and staff, political, logistic, or technical ones should be based on the development of weapons and learners’ knowledge levels, particularly those from units that will proceed directly to modernization. Doing so contributes to minimizing the abundance and inadequacy of curricula contents when it comes to the training and retraining of military cadres in military-run academic institutions.

Second, closely combining theory and practice when it comes to the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres. Military-run academic institutions should bring theoretical and practical knowledge into line with their learners’ specialization. Doing so enables military cadres to be equipped with specialized knowledge and to gain real-world experiences in line with their working positions. This measure contributes to redressing the existing overlap of curriculum contents.

To this end, military-run academic institutions should closely combine the work of education and training with that of scientific research for the sake of the enhanced quality of the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres At the same time, resources should be invested heavily on updating military theory and military art and upgrading teaching infrastructure in order to improve the quality of the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres, especially command and staff, logistics and technical posts.

Third, enhancing the quality of lecturers in order to make them capable of their teaching. This plays a decisive role in the quality of education and training in general and the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres in particular. In order to enhance the quality of lecturers, military-run academic institutions should put great store by the training and retraining as well as the transfer and rotation of cadres while creating favourable conditions for them to get engaged in fieldwork in training and combat readiness units. Military-run academic institutions, especially those entrusted with the training and retraining of military cadres at tactical, operational and strategic levels, should make long-term plans for the standardization of their lecturers whereby criteria should be laid out for ensuring that working positions run parallel to qualifications and expert knowledge is in tandem with hands-on experiences. Simultaneously, the contingent of lecturers in military-run academic institutions should proactively adopt learner-centred teaching methods and broaden first-hand experiences.

Fourth, promoting the cooperation among military-run academic institutions and units in the enhanced quality of the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres. This is a requirement for the enhanced quality of training and retraining military cadres nowadays. Military-run academic institutions should closely cooperate with one another in curriculum contents to meet the requirements of majors. Furthermore, lecturers from military-run academic institutions should further exchange experiences and share information concerning specialized knowledge, thereby contributing to their enhanced quality of teaching. Meanwhile, military-run academic institutions and units should foster their cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner. The former should invite more trusted and efficient cadres in managerial and commanding posts from the latter to give seminars. Educational tours at home and abroad should also be organized based on the objectives of majors. As learners, military cadres should promote their self-discipline in acquiring specialist knowledge that is inextricably linked with their working positions.

Military-run academic institutions should thoroughly study and creatively apply the aforementioned measures in order to contribute to the enhanced quality of the working position-oriented training and retraining of military cadres in line with the requirements of today’s Homeland construction and defence.

Sr. Col., Associate Prof. Luong Thanh Han, PhD

The Political Academy