Cadres are the “roots” of all work, and the decisive factor for the success of the revolutionary cause. Presently, in the context of our country having been deeply engaging in the international integration, cadres in general and those in military schools in particular must actively contribute to this process. Hence, improving the working competence for this contingent is an important, urgent, basic and long-term issue.

It is the fact that the international environment has been intertwined with both cooperation and competition, opportunities, advantages and difficulties, challenges. To be able to work in the international environment, the contingent of cadres in general, that in military schools in particular is required to not only have the strong political will, pure revolutionary morality, modern and professional working style but also acquire enough skills and thinking, even the outstanding skills and thinking on all fields, especially the professional capacity, knowledge, political theories, culture, experiences, etc.

Thoroughly grasping the policies of the Party, Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on proactively enhancing the cooperation and improving the effectiveness of the international integration, in recent years, the military schools have intensely led and directed these issues to continuously improve the quality of education and training, scientific research, etc., meeting the demands for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. Of which, improving the working competence for the contingent of cadres in the international environment has been paid attention with much renovation and creativity, gaining the total results. In fact, the responsibility and awareness of cadres and lecturers on the international integration, defence diplomacy and the necessity to improve the working competence in the international environment has been actively changed; the training of high quality human resources has been considered; the facilities and equipment have been invested for cadres’ learning, scientific research and the process of modernising the Army. In the trend of deep international integration in general, the one in defence in particular, the Ministry of National Defence has sent many cadres including cadres from military schools to join the international cooperation and defence diplomacy activities related to education and training, UN peacekeeping operation, exchanges with young military officers from other countries, border defence friendly exchanges, common patrol, delegate exchanges, etc.  in order to promote the exchanges, learning and acquirement of experience from other armies. Notably, some cadres from military schools have shown their motivation and creativity in the international environment, especially in lecturing, scientific research etc., which has made them “ambassadors” of the country, contributing to enhancing the position, prestige and image of the country and Army in the international arena.

VPA newly deployed officers to UN peacekeeping missions (Photo: qdnd.vn)

However, there have existed limitations and shortcomings in the working competence of cadres in military schools. Some cadres working in the international environment lack professionalism, even their ability of IT, foreign languages and communication skills is limited. Particularly, some cadres though having been basically trained in foreign countries lack skills and spirit, hesitate to train, even show insufficient awareness of the urgent demands for international integration and defence diplomacy. This requires the military schools to intensely improve the working competence in the international environment for cadres to contribute to building the high quality human resources, meeting the demands for building the Army, enhancing the national defence and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. In this spirit, we propose some basic contents and solutions for further discussion.

Firstly, frequently grasping and improving the awareness and responsibility for the cadres in military schools working in the international environment. To carry out this solution, it requires the authorities and each school to promote the education, deeply grasp the resolutions and directions by the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, especially the resolutions on the building of the contingent of cadres, education and training, international integration and defence diplomacy, through which, to make the all-level party committees, commands, lecturers, education managers, etc. understand the necessity, meaning and importance of improving the working competence in the international environment, creating positive changes in the awareness and responsibility for learning and researching, cultivating the contingent of “both red and expert” cadres to meet the higher requirements of the international integration and defence diplomacy. The education contents should be comprehensive but intensive, focusing on the policies and guidelines of the Party, defence diplomacy, cooperation of education and training; requirements of building the contingent of cadres, the strict rules of working in the international environment; standards of political quality, morality, lifestyle, knowledge of international laws, professional capacity, foreign languages, IT, etc. Forms and solutions for grasping and educating should be plentiful, diverse, and closed to learners, given through meetings, talks, conferences, scientific seminars, training, special subject learning, and exchanges for young military officers, etc.

Secondly, strengthening the leadership and direction of all-level party committees and commands, and the instructions of functional agencies. In the international environment, all activities and interaction are connected to one or many partners from different countries who are different from us regarding the cultures, languages, religions, military knowledge, etc., any inexperienced manifestations of quality, capacity or military and social knowledge, etc. could cause consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the leadership and direction of the party committees and commands at all levels, instructions of the functional agencies on this important issue in the way that all contents related to cadres working in the international environment must be decided by all-level party committees due to their jurisdiction, and all individuals and organisations must thoroughly follow. To make it happen, all schools need to determine the breaking phases with comprehensive but focused contents and solutions; clearly define the targets, detailed tasks, suitable steps, and make drastic and synchronous solutions to completely solve the weaknesses. Besides, the party committees at all levels need to clearly assign the tasks, especially to cadres who have been selected and trained to attend the defence diplomacy activities, study in foreign countries, give lectures for international learners, etc. In the execution process, the functional agencies must bring into play their roles of guiding and building the scientific and detailed plans, and timely make implementation with high effectiveness according to the defined schedules; regularly make inspection, supervision and summaries, draw from experience, timely discover and overcome difficulties, prevent and struggle against the loosening of leadership, direction and management leading to low effectiveness.

Thirdly, promoting the education and training to improve the working competence in the international environment for the contingent of cadres in military schools. The issue of working in the international environment is not new, but contains many difficulties and challenges with high requirements and cautiousness, which demands cadres to be carefully prepared in terms of knowledge, skills and methods. Therefore, these schools need to closely combine between the education, training and bringing into play each individual’s proactiveness, activeness and creativity, then, outline the training contents and curricula to improve the working competence in the international environment in the way of standardisation and modernisation, making them feasible, basic, systematic, comprehensive, practical and suitable with the task requirements of the Army and the effects of the 4^th Industrial Revolution. The schools should intensely train the cadres to have firm political spirit, pure revolutionary ethics, in-depth military knowledge to form a contingent of cadres who have strategic thoughts and views, enough skills, knowledge and communication confidence; a wide knowledge of laws, general rules and international politics, the relations among countries, the culture, society, history, customs, etc. of other countries; communication skills, nice and cautious behaviour due to the diplomatic etiquette; an outstanding knowledge of foreign languages and IT, a scientific and professional working style, etc. The schools also need to actively renovate the training forms and methods towards modernity and professionalism; closely combine the regular training with in-service training, taking the basic and long-term training with advanced and modern curricula as the key, the seniors training the juniors, the foregoers training the followers, etc.

To turn the “training” into “self-training”, the contingent of cadres in military schools needs to take responsibility, self-study and research, be renovated and creative, and well meet the demands for working in the international environment. Every cadre needs to be aware of their positions, requirements, responsibility and tasks; clearly realise the contradiction between the higher task requirements and their capacity in order to improve the competence, especially the “soft skills” when working in the international environment; frequently accumulate and summarise the experience of working, improve the ability of thinking and acquiring, approaching new knowledge and working skills, especially the one of responding and solving the “sensitive” situations and other international problems, etc.

Fourthly, creating favourable conditions for cadres in military schools to take part in all activities in the international environment. Presently, with the fast development of science and technology, military schools should promote activities of meetings, exchanges, coordination and combination with other domestic and foreign institutions of education and training to improve the effectiveness of research, study, sharing experience and training cooperation with other countries which have modern and advanced military science, techniques and technology; increase the investment to modernise the facilities and equipment, build foreign languages and IT centres which have full capacity of national, international training and assessment towards investing to build some schools in the models of training, scientific research and technology transfer centres, which are on a par with national, regional and international standards; enhance the digital transformation, priorly assign the scientific topics and tasks to cadres who obtain many international scientific publications, create favourable conditions for renovation and creativity, actively join the international cooperation and defence diplomacy activities, meeting the demands for building the Army, strengthening the defence and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

Dr. NGUYEN VAN THUONG, The Political College