Defence mobilisation consists of all activities and methods to mobilise all resources of the country or some localities for defence missions in order to create the overall strength for safeguarding the Fatherland in any situations. This is also a content identified in the Party’s resolutions, directives, strategies, etc., which needs to be grasped and implemented seriously and effectively.

The Resolution of the 8th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure) on Strategy to Safeguard the Fatherland in the New Situation has stressed the need for “being ready to arm the whole people for defending the Fatherland” and “careful preparation for mobilising talented people and material for defence, security tasks when needed”. In the Defence Strategy, our Party advocates building an all-people defence force in accordance with the socialist-oriented market economy, types of socio-economic activities, and each region; establishing a strong all-people defence posture nationwide; preparing everything carefully for shifting the country from peacetime to wartime; mobilising overall strength of the entire people and political system to build a resilient, self-reliant, independent, comprehensive, all-people national defence. The Resolution of the 13th Party Congress lays out the guideline for “bringing into full play overall power of the entire people and political system, combining overall national power with power of the times, and taking advantage of support of the international community for firmly protecting independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity of the Fatherland”.

Our people’s history of national construction and defence proves that our ancestors used to attach special importance to defence mobilisation with a view to making preparations in terms of spiritual, political potential, human and material resources for readily responding to and winning wars of aggression. Dynasties in the history of Viet Nam turned attention to preparation of the human resources for mobilisation right from peacetime; combination of economic production and military building, development of regular, reserve forces and mobilisation of the entire people for fighting enemies. Feudal states paid great attention to mobilisation of human and material resources for defending the country. “Troops involvement in agricultural production”, and “an army for agricultural production in peacetime, an army for combat in wartime” became major policies to defend the country.

During the wars of resistance against French colonialists and American imperialists, under the Party’s leadership, defence mobilisation was carried out by various ways, thus mobilising the whole nation in all aspects for the wars. Millions of tons of weapons, ammunition, food, goods, etc., were accumulated and sent to theatres of war, providing timely support for our people’s fight against the enemies.

Today, on the basis of grasping and implementing the Party’s resolutions, directives, strategies, and projects, the all-people national defence, all-people national defence posture, people’s security, municipal, provincial defensive posture, people’s heart-and-mind posture, and resources for defence mobilisation are firmly established. The legal system, strategies and projects in military, defence, and security domains, notably policies and regulations on defence mobilisation, have been issued and implemented synchronously. Socio-economic development is step by step combined closely with strengthening national defence and security. Defence industry and security industry attract significant investment and are capable of manufacturing many types of weapons and equipment in support of defence and security missions. Industrial facilities dedicated to defence mobilisation are invested, set up, maintained, and repaired to both meet the needs of people, defence and security missions in peacetime and be readily mobilised for defence, security contingencies and protection of the Fatherland.

To prepare national potential for dealing with any defence, security situations effectively require levels, branches, and forces from the Central to local levels, the entire political system, and the whole people to further grasp and realise the Party’s resolutions, directives, strategies, and projects regarding defence mobilisation seriously and thoroughly, most notably the following fundamental missions and solutions:

First, promoting the Party’s leadership and State’s management of defence mobilisation. To implement this solution requires reform to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of party committees’ and the political system’s leadership, especially the role of party organisations within ministries and branches at the Central level and localities in generating and mobilising resources for defence missions. There is a need to enhance quality of education and propagation about defence mobilisation among cadres, party members, and people; build a corps of competent, morally good cadres who are capable of meeting requirements of defence missions; place responsibility for supervising and directing specific aspects of defence mobilisation on each cadre, party member, and member of party committees. It is necessary to strengthen the Party’s leadership of improving policies and regulations on defence mobilisation; speed up inspecting and supervising the implementation of defence mobilisation; promote State’s management through enhancing quality of establishing and improving the legal system on defence mobilisation; increase State’s operating efficiency and effectiveness through the state apparatus’s management activities at all levels. Special importance is attached to improving and carrying out policies on defence mobilisation; promoting quality of education about law compliance in defence mobilisation domain; speeding up administrative reform and investment in resources for defence mobilisation; undertaking inspection, supervision, audit, and collaboration among state agencies on developing and mobilising resources for defence missions.

Second, it is necessary to bring into play the overall strength of commissions, ministries, and branches at the Central level, localities, and the entire political system in doing defence mobilisation work. Defence mobilisation is a task of the entire Party, people, military, and political system, thus requiring tapping into the overall strength of ministries and branches at the Central level, localities, organisations, bodies, and units in order to develop defence mobilisation plans on the basis of closely combining socio-economic development with strengthening of defence, security potential. Comprehensive, careful preparation for defence mobilisation must be conducted right from peacetime, which provides a solid foundation for timely mobilising all resources of the country needed for each state of national defence. Ministries and branches at the Central level and localities must make joint effort to generate and mobilise resources for defence missions, in which the Ministry of National Defence (MND), Ministry of Planning and Investment, and Ministry of Finance play the core role.

Third, improving the legal system, policies, and regulations on defence mobilisation. Presently, thanks to leadership and direction of the Party and State, the system of legal documents, operating mechanisms, and policies on defence mobilisation have been fairly complete. However, factors that affect defence mobilisation are evolving constantly, making some existing regulations and policies obsolete. Consequently, commissions, ministries, and branches at the Central level, localities, and organisations concerned need to continue to proactively advise the Party and State to improve the legal system, policies, and regulations on defence mobilisation. Attention should be paid to improving the legal system, policies, and regulations on socio-economic development in association with strengthening of defence and security; investing in developing resources for defence mobilisation and mechanisms for defence mobilisation of commissions, ministries, and branches at the Central level, localities, organisations, and enterprises. During implementation process, it is necessary to proactively review existing legal documents and policies; assess both the appropriateness and limitations of these legal documents. Professional agencies work with relevant, functional bodies to propose changes to the legal system, policies, and regulations, ensuring their suitability to requirements of defence mobilisation in the new situation.

Fourth, promoting effectiveness of combining socio-economic development with preparation of resources for defence mobilisation. Socio-economic development in connection with strengthening of national defence and security is a strategic direction of our Party and State. Combining socio-economic development with preparation of resources for defence mobilisation is a crucial element of preparing the all-people national defence and posture for safeguarding the Fatherland. That combination is expressed by socio-economic development planning in association with defence mobilisation plan and establishment of defence posture. Socio-economic development to secure people’s life is aligned with creating a firm, scientific, technological, financial, logistical, technical, material foundation in each locality and strategic area. Socio-economic development is to be combined with adjusting population distribution, building the Reserve and Militia and Self-Defence Force, and establishing the technology and traffic infrastructure in support of defence missions. The combination is carried out in localities’ careful preparation of all conditions for transforming states of national defence proactively, timely, safely, and according to a unified plan. economic – defence zones are firmly set up in key areas to both achieve the goal of hunger eradication and poverty reduction in key areas, border areas, and islands and strengthen defence potential and forces, readily meeting requirements of defence missions should situations occur.

Fifth, enhancing training, drills, and review of defence mobilisation work. This is an indispensable, vital solution to mobilisation, which aims to promote the quality of defence mobilisation and protect the Fatherland in any situations. Effective defence mobilisation requires a good grasp of characteristics of each commission, ministry, and branch at the Central level, locality, agency, unit, and enterprise, thus determining suitable contents, forms, and methods for training and drilling. The State, commissions, ministries, and branches at the Central level, localities, agencies, units, and enterprises also need to develop their own training and drilling plans for defence mobilisation. The motto of “basicness, concreteness, firmness, and close monitoring of reality” must be applied flexibly. Importance should be attached to conducting training in close association with mobilisation requirements and missions of each commission, ministry, and branch at the Central level, locality, agency, unit, and enterprise. The training contents and methods must focus on mobilisation plans. Teaching of basic theory is to be aligned with teaching traditional experience. During drills, it is necessary to satisfy the demands of comprehensive, careful preparation; scientific, close leadership and command; concrete contents, ensuring suitability to characteristics, missions, and abilities of each commission, ministry, and branch at the Central level, locality, agency, unit, and business.

Factors that have influence on defence mobilisation will evolve rapidly together with developments in the world, region, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To conduct effective defence mobilisation to satisfy demands of missions in the new situation requires regular, thorough grasp of the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and law on defence mobilisation as well as research to supplement appropriate missions and solutions to defence mobilisation.

Senior Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, PhD. Tran Viet Khoa, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, Rector of the National Defence Academy