Building “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units under Directive 79/CT-BQP dated 22 July 2022 by Minister of National Defence is an important, urgent part of military-defence work and Fatherland protection; it is the concretisation of the Party’s line on building an “elite, compact, strong” Army in the new situation with high requirements and standards. When performing this task, in addition to advantages, the provincial armed forces of Nghe An have been faced with a lot of difficulties due to their large area of responsibility, several units’ incomplete organisational structure, the high requirements of military-defence work, the risk of instability in some localities, particularly in Western Nghe An, and harsh, erratic weather conditions. Against that backdrop, the Provincial Military Party Committee (PMPC) and the Provincial Military Command (PMC) have synchronously taken measures of leadership and direction, with a focus on enhancing emulation work, especially the Determined to Win Emulation Movement as an incentive for offices, units, cadres, and soldiers to surmount difficulties, well perform their assigned tasks, and build “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units. In addition to stepping up propagation and education to raise public awareness and build up motivation for emulation among all cadres and soldiers, actively renewing and diversifying forms and methods of emulation, maintaining inspection and review of emulation, building and duplicating typical examples, the provincial armed forces have concentrated the Determined to Win Emulation Movement on the content and standards of building “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units. Grasping their functions, tasks, and stationed areas’ characteristics, offices and units have formulated specific, practical, breakthrough measures to perform hard tasks and overcome their weaknesses.

Giving rewards to individuals with outstanding achievements in ensuring traffic order and safety

Building politically, ideologically, organisationally strong provincial armed forces into a reliable, absolutely loyal political and combat army of local party committees, authorities, and people represents a vital task. Thus, the PMC has concentrated the Determined to Win Emulation Movement on encouraging cadres and soldiers to improve their revolutionary qualities to deserve to be “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and play a core role in building “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units. Over the years, the provincial armed forces have realised the study and following of Uncle Ho’s teachings into detailed action programs and creative, effective approaches to deserve to be revolutionary soldiers of the President’s hometown. The movements, namely “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, “cadres and soldiers of Nghe An provincial armed forces emulate to build workplace culture, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers in the hometown of Uncle Ho”, “Nghe An provincial armed forces join hands with the whole country to emulate the prevention, combat, and victory of Covid-19 pandemic” have been implemented widely and deeply across offices and units. Via emulation movements, offices and units have effectively implemented Directive 2423-CT/QUTW dated 9 November 2023 by the Central Military Commission Standing Board on “renewing and improving political education in the new period”, with emphasis placed on raising cadres and soldiers’ awareness of the Party’s military-defence guidelines, the State’s law and policies, and military-defence tasks. At the same time, they have stepped up the management and orientation of troop ideology and the building of pure, strong party organisations at all levels. Thanks to various forms and measures of emulation, the provincial armed forces have achieved a significant change in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle without any sign of “self-evolution” or “self-transformation” from within; all-level party organisations’ leadership capacity and combativeness have been considerably improved. Since 2019, all party organisations within the Provincial Military Party Organisation have fulfilled their tasks, 95% of them have excellently fulfilled their tasks; over 95% of party members have fulfilled their tasks, 18% of party members have excellently fulfilled their tasks.

In regularity building and discipline management, the PMPC and PMC have directed offices and units to well manage and orientate troop ideology, raise the quality of implementing the Regulations on Grass-roots Democracy, “political and cultural day at grass-roots level”, and democratic dialogues, effectively maintain the model of “feedback box” and the operations of “psychological, medical, and legal consultation team”. Cadres and soldiers have concretised targets of regularity building and observance of military discipline, State law, and units’ regulations into their written commitments to emulation and self-improvement. In response to serious violations of military discipline and State law, particularly the relationship between new soldiers and old-timers and the borrowing of money without ability to repay, the PMPC has released a specialised resolution on regularity building and discipline management. Under the resolution, cadres have been required to set good examples in morality, lifestyle, and observance of military discipline, State law, and regulations. At the same time, measures for an administrative reform have been actively taken; functions and tasks of offices and units have been clearly identified; due attention has been paid to renewing the working method and style of cadres, particularly the key ones in a democratic, scientific manner so as to improve their task performance and strictly maintain discipline.

Ground inspection in preparation for training work

In the work of training and combat readiness, offices and units have developed a lot of emulation models and movements, such as “good training, strict discipline, high combat readiness”, “day of the youth’s management of training quality”, “exemplary training week”, thereby creating a motivation for cadres and soldiers to successfully fulfil this important work. In the process, under Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW dated 20 December 2023 by the Central Military Commission on raising the quality of training in the period of 2023 – 2030 and beyond, the PMPC and PMC have focused their leadership and direction on carrying out training work in a comprehensive but focalised fashion, relevant to the assigned tasks, area of responsibility, operational methods, organisational structure, and equipment of each force and in accordance with each locality’s budget. At the same time, due regard has been paid to stimulating cadres’ “self-study” and “self-improvement”, requiring “superiors to train subordinates”, actively organising training contests, conducting preliminary and final reviews, and building up cadres and soldiers’ willpower and determination to raise units’ combat readiness capacity. On a yearly basis, all offices and units pass tests on training and combat readiness work, 85% of them achieve merit or distinction. Annually, the province reaches all targets of defence and security education, while organising defensive zone, civil defence, and mobilisation exercises at all levels in a close, scientific, absolutely safe manner.

In logistics and technical support, offices and units have attached importance to conducting propagation and education to enable cadres and soldiers to fully understand and effectively implement the emulation movement titled “Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” and Campaign 50. Via the movements, namely “building five-good military medical units”, “medical soldiers follow Uncle Ho’s teachings”, “building and managing regular, bright, green, clean, beautiful barracks”, “the youth’s garage”, and “promoting technical initiatives and innovations”, there has been a comprehensive, synchronous, solid positive change in ensuring troops’ life and health as well as the safety of depots, weapons, and technical equipment.

Furthermore, cadres and soldiers of the provincial armed forces have actively taken part in the movements, namely “the Military joins hands to build new-style rural areas” and “the whole country joins hands for the poor – no one will be left behind” via practical, effective, specific models, such as “personal savings for the needy”, “I love my Fatherland”, “a warm Tết in Western Nghe An”, and “day for the poor”, thereby contributing to bolstering the nature and tradition of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period.

Thanks to sound guidelines, creative approaches, and proper, practical measures, the provincial armed forces’ Determined to Win Emulation Movement has been unceasingly developed both deeply and widely; it has really become an incentive for the PMC to perform its role in giving advice to local party committees and authorities on performing military-defence tasks, building all-people national defence and the posture of all-people national defence associated with the posture of people’s security, and making all-level defensive zones increasingly strong. Notably, the Movement has helped create the synergy for the building of “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong offices and units. Via the Movement, there have been many typical collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in performing their tasks. In the past 5 years (2019 – 2024), the PMC has been given 3 Emulation Flags by the Prime Minister, 1 Emulation Flag by the Ministry of National Defence, 1 Emulation Flag by the Provincial People’s Committee, and many other noble rewards.

Bringing into play those positive results, in the upcoming time, the provincial armed forces of Nghe An will continue to step up the Determined to Win Emulation Movement, realise the goal and targets of building “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units, readily undertake and successfully fulfil all assigned tasks to contribute to turning Nghe An into “one of the best provinces in the Northern region” as President Ho Chi Minh ever wished.

Sr. Col. PHAN DAI NGHIA

Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Board

Commander of the PMC