Military Region 1 is a strategic area that holds a position of central importance in defence-security terms to the North, Hanoi capital city and the whole country. Fully aware of that, over the past years, in addition to building strong armed forces, the Military Region’s Party Committee and High Command have thoroughly grasped the Party’s strategy to build the militia and self-defence forces while adopting measures to build these forces. In fact, the Military Region’s militia and self-defence forces have been made increasingly “strong and extensive” with high quality, especially the political quality, and structure and quantity in accordance with each locality. It is worth noting that in recent years, the militia and self-defence forces in the Military Region’s area have been really the core in performing local military-defence work and taken part in political security and social order maintenance, natural disaster prevention and mitigation, hunger eradication and poverty reduction as well as the construction of new-style rural area. Those operations have contributed to building strong all-people national defence and all-people national defence posture associated with the people’s security posture, creating favourable conditions for socio-economic development.

Sr. Col. Ha Quang Vinh encourages the militia of Luc Ngan district (Bac Giang province) in the DT-17 exercise

Those achievements have been attributed to the Military Region’s promotion of the core role of all-level military offices in couselling and directing the building of the militia and self-defence forces in the area. By doing so, the Military Region has encouraged the participation of sectors, localities and the whole political system while mobilizing resources in the building of the militia and self-defence forces. Thus, the Military Region has regularly directed military offices at all levels to grasp higher echelons’ directives and resolutions on building the militia and self-defence forces to actively cooperate with committees, sectors and organizations in counselling local party committees and authorities to enhance their leadership and direction over this task. Grounded on counselling by military offices, local party committees and authorities have developed and issued resolutions and plans/projects on the building, training and operation of the militia and self-defence forces as well as policies towards the forces in accord with local conditions. During the course of implementation, the Military Region has directed localities to adhere to regulations of the Law on the Militia and Self-Defence Forces and guiding documents; to align the implementation of the Law with the performance of local military-defence work and the building of defensive zones and grass-roots political bases. At the same time, it has directed the building of models for organization, training, operation and management of the militia and self-defence forces in areas and enterprises to draw lessons and multiply. To do so, localities have seriously taken steps from registration and management of citizens at the age of military service to selection and acceptance of members of the forces on a close, open, democratic basis under the motto “people discuss, people appoint, people care”. Importance has been attached to building the core, mobile, regular, arms militia and self-defence forces as well as the self-defence forces in offices and enterprises, particularly in the key area of defence and security and border, ethnic minority-inhabited areas.

At present, in the Military Region’s area, there have appeared industrial zones and clusters with many foreign direct investment enterprises and tens of thousands of workers; therefore, it necessitates organizing the self-defence forces. Against that backdrop, the Military Region has directed military offices at all levels to grasp the situation of the enterprises and the areas and actively counsel party committees and authorities and relevant ministries and sectors to build types of self-defence forces properly. This is a new, difficult issue which requires the cautious and close implementation. Up to now, the Military Region has built nearly 1,970 militia and self-defence bases with the number of members of the forces accounting for 2.1% of the population and formed 89 commune-level military party cells. Most notably, Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces have established and effectively maintained the operation of 27 regular militia squads in border communes. The percentages of party and youth union members within the militia and self-defence forces have been 26.6% and 62.9% respectively.

Significance has been attached to consolidating all-level military offices, particularly commune-level military commands and military commands of offices and enterprises in line with the building of militia and self-defence cadres. The Military Region has considered this work as a determinant to the building of the militia and self-defence forces. Thus, it has directed all-level military offices to counsel local party committees and authorities to actively prepare the human resources and formulate plans for training commune-level military command cadres under the Government’s Decision 799/QĐ-TTg to gradually standardize this staff. Priority has been given to selecting people from ethnic minorities and remote, isolated areas, to preparing human resources in long term, and to building strong political bases. Adopting measures synchronously, over the past years, the Military Region has trained over 2,760 commune-level military command cadres. After being trained, many of them have been promoted to reserve officers and appointed as commune-level military command commanders and deputy commanders, mobile militia platoon commanders. Up to now, 100% of commune-level military commands have filled all positions according to regulations while 100% of commune-level military command commanders and deputy commanders have been party members, which greatly contributes to improving the quality of building the militia and self-defence forces at grass-roots level.

The shooting training course intended for the militia of Huu Lung district                  (Lang Son province)

In addition, the Military Region has focused on conducting the training work to improve the militia and self-defence forces’ synergy and capability to perform the task in all situations. To do so, the Military Region has directed offices and units, especially military offices at all levels to stay close to objects and the area’s reality, actively renew the contents, forms and methods of training, and conduct the training work in a comprehensive, focalized manner in accordance with local budget. Localities and militia and self-defence units have concentrated on preparations for training, particularly training courses for cadres, and training materials, grounds and aids; conducted pilot training courses to draw lessons; and formally, solemnly held the launching ceremony of the training season to create a vibrant emulation atmosphere. During the training process, localities have closely followed the motto “basics, practicality, quality” while attaching importance to training the militia and self-defence forces on combat skills to cling on to the area and the combat projects and methods of the militia and self-defence forces. Moreover, the militia and self-defence forces have been trained to master weapons of all types and cooperate with other forces in conducting patrols, settling situations, and maintaining political security and social order in the area. In addition to training under the program by the Ministry of National Defence, the Military Region has directed localities to actively renew training contents and programs in accord with the area’s particularities; to combine military training with political education and legal dissemination and education; to increase training and practice according to the ratified combat projects. At the same time, localities have been asked to make plans for extensive, supplementary training related to natural disaster, fire, explosion and forest fire prevention and control as well as skills of mass mobilization. Besides, the Military Region has directed localities to finish training courses before every September 30^th to shift towards exercises at all levels to assess combat capability, level and coordination.  In addition to training, the Military Region has mobilized the militia and self-defence forces in provincial, district-level defensive zone exercises, flood and storm, fire, explosion and forest fire prevention and control and search and rescue drills as well as commune-level combat exercises. Those exercises have helped improve local party committees and authorities’ capability and experience in leadership, direction and operation, committees and sectors’ coordination in giving advice as well as militia and self-defence cadres and soldiers’ combat readiness level and capability. Annually, 100% of members of the militia and self-defence forces have fulfilled the training requirements. Over the past years, localities have mobilized over 56,100 militia and self-defence cadres and soldiers in the exercises at all levels.

Due attention has been paid to ensuring policies and entitlements regarding the militia and self-defence forces. To that end, the military office has advised Provincial Party Committees, People’s Councils and People’s Committees to develop and issue projects and plans on daily work allowance for the militia and self-defence forces in operation as well as responsibility allowance for cadres of the military commands of commune level, offices and organizations. In spite of economic difficulties in localities, provinces have allocated budget and actively mobilized resources from the society to ensuring policies and entitlements for the militia and self-defence forces. Several provinces, such as Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen have paid the militia in training and operation the daily work allowance which is higher than stipulated by the Law on the Militia and Self-Defence Forces. Moreover, due regard has been paid to building the head office of the commune-level military command and acquiring equipment, vehicles, supporting tools and uniform for the militia and self-defence forces. Up to now, in the Military Region’s area, 17 commune-level military commands have had their own office while the others have shared the office with the commune-level people’s committees, thereby providing the basis for improving the quality of the operation of the militia and self-defence forces.

Successfully implementing the measures mentioned above, the militia and self-defence forces in the Military Region 1’s area have been made “strong, extensive” and become the core in performing local defence and military work, contributing to building and consolidating the all-people national defence and political bases, meeting the requirements of Homeland safeguarding in the new situation.

Sr. Col. Ha Quang Vinh, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Military Region 1