Research and development on military and national defence strategy and doctrine are critical in guiding military and national defence activities in practice. Therefore, the implementation of these works requires thorough and meticulous research to explore fundamental solutions, creating breakthroughs that meet the requirements of the cause of national defence in the period of industrialisation, modernisation, and international integration of the country.

Military and national defence theory encompasses various elements such as doctrine, theories, strategies, policies, laws, ideologies, culture, military arts, warfare, and armed forces. Among these, the theory of military and national defence policy and doctrine is the fundamental and overarching component, the most important one. It serves as the foundational framework and guiding principle for other aspects. Moreover, it acts as a compass for the entire Party, the People, and the armed forces in successfully fulfilling military and national defence missions to safeguard the Motherland.

To thoroughly implement and carry out the Resolution of the 13^th Party Congress on “Continuing the study and development of theory on national defence, military, security, military art, the art of safeguarding national security, and social security in the new situation”, in recent years, the research and development of theory of military and national defence policy and doctrine have received attention, guidance, and organisation from the country’s leadership, resulting in significant achievements. Among them, the theory on building the all-people defence, regional defence, provincial and city defence, as well as emerging issues in military art, have been prioritised for research, supplementation, and development. The system of strategies, such as the national defence strategy, Vietnamese military strategy, cyberspace national defence strategy, and national border defence strategy, has been studied, developed, promulgated, and implemented, and has gradually affirmed of its effectiveness in practice. However, the global and regional situation is undergoing rapid and complex changes that are difficult to predict; armed conflicts, proxy wars, asymmetrical conflicts, and non-conventional threats are on the rising trend. The fourth industrial revolution is expanding exponentially, strongly impacting the fields of military and national defence. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges pose a serious threat to the stability and sustainable development of nations, directly endangering global and regional peace, including Vietnam, and so on.

To effectively conduct research, supplementation, and development of the theory on military and national defence doctrine and strategy in the right direction to meet the requirements of the work of safeguarding the Motherland in the new era, we propose the following solutions:

First, continue to deeply grasp the resolutions and directives of the Party and the State regarding the research and development of the theory on military and national defence doctrine and strategy. This is a matter of principle and provides permanent guidance for research and development activities in this field. Therefore, in the study and development of theory in this area, it is essential to thoroughly grasp the Resolution of the 13^th Party Congress, as well as the resolutions, conclusions, strategies, legal systems, and policies related to military and national defence that have been issued. Particularly, emphasis should be placed on the resolutions and directions for the combined development of the economy, society, and defence in strategic areas, the development of the defence industry in the new period, defence international integration and diplomacy, civil defence, and the forthcoming laws such as the Civil Defence Law, Defence Industry Law, and others. Furthermore, it is important to have a solid understanding of the current situation and trends in the development of national defence and security at both regional and global levels. It is necessary to consider the impacts of the fourth industrial revolution and the orientations for building the military, strengthening national defence, and safeguarding the homeland in the new situation. Based on this understanding, the key directions, objectives, and main contents of research, development, supplementation, and refinement of theoretical thinking on military and national defence should be determined to be compatible with the conditions of globalisation and international integration. Currently, the application of achievements from the fourth industrial revolution, particularly the development of digital platforms in the fields of military and national defence, requires the utilisation of advanced and modern technologies in the research work. This applies specifically to the development of theories on leadership, management, and operational activities in both peacetime and wartime, as well as theories on digital warfare and high-tech weapon systems and the development of a high-quality human resource pool in the field of military and national defence in the digital technology era.

Second, establish appropriate and feasible research programmes and plans. This is a critical and indispensable step in the overall research and development of theories in general, and the field of military and national defence doctrine and strategy in particular. Therefore, the development of research programmes and plans must ensure close alignment and suitability with the level of expertise and capabilities of the assigned personnel, budget, infrastructure, and resources. This is to effectively incorporate the Party’s principles, policies, and legal frameworks into practical military and national defence activities. To ensure the practicality of the plans, they should be based on the overall orientation and actual capabilities of the managing agencies. Also, it is essential to review the theoretical issues that need to be studied to generate accurate assessments to determine the research objectives, requirements, content, schedules, methodologies, compilation, and the coordination among relevant functional agencies, as well as establish organisational support arrangements. Such scientific theoretical research activities must adhere to the correct principles, procedures, and steps of research as stipulated and must be approved by the authorised leadership.

Experience has shown that in each revolutionary period and the current phase, the Party’s military strategy has always been a matter of attention and has been appropriately planned according to each period. It is demonstrated through Party guidelines, resolutions, and directives. However, there is still no separate paper on the military and national defence doctrine and strategy for the new era - the era of the fourth industrial revolution as an independent document. Meanwhile, the task of safeguarding the Motherland “early and from afar” and “keeping the country safe before it is threatened” is a significant, long-term issue that requires guidance through a doctrine and theory with the most comprehensive system of viewpoints and fundamental principles. Additionally, some important strategies for national defence have been developed and implemented, but a complete system has not yet been formed. Therefore, based on the existing fundamental strategies, it is necessary to continue strengthening the development of branch-specific and specialised strategies, as well as state management of strategies in the fields of military and national defence in a coherent and effective manner. In the current context, the research roadmap for the military and national defence doctrine and strategy must ensure synchronisation with the process of building e-government and the national digital transformation until 2030, with a vision towards 2045. At the same time, it should be aligned with the reality of the existing human resources quality, ensuring that other military and national defence tasks are implemented nationwide.

Third, establish institutions and a corps of personnel that are capable of conducting research on military and national defence doctrine and strategy at the level required by the assigned tasks. This is an important issue that plays a decisive role in the quality of research work. The robustness of the institutions and the competence of the research personnel are key factors in ensuring the coherence, thoroughness, and high effectiveness of research programs, plans, and the development of theoretical frameworks, concepts, and strategies. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on building and strengthening national-level military and defence research institutions with an appropriate organisational structure and continually improving their quality, following the direction of being “compact, efficient, robust, rational, cohesive, and specialised”. Specifically, it is important to clearly define the responsibilities of the advisory institutions in proposing recommendations for the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence to provide guidance and professional instruction for the works of studying and developing military and national defence theory within the Ministry of National Defence. This ensures concentration, unity, and specialisation for such works. Furthermore, it is essential to direct the establishment, supplementation, and adjustment of mechanisms, policies, and regulations in the research work, clearly defining the positions, responsibilities, and tasks of each research position. Enhancing the training and raising the awareness of the research personnel in the field of military and national defence theory, as well as their knowledge of information technology, digital transformation, foreign languages, and computer skills, are crucial. This will enable them to work effectively in a digital environment, on the internet, where all processes of archiving and extracting information from materials, seminars, and military and defence dialogues are “paperless” procedures.

Therefore, there is a need for mechanisms and policies to allow the military intellectual workforce to access services and knowledge related to military and national defence and leverage their intellect and talents in all activities, including practical review, research, supplementation, and the development of theory. On the other hand, digital transformation also changes the methods of warfare and national defence, requiring research personnel to both integrate and capitalise on these achievements in updating and extracting information from materials, while deeply incorporating them into research projects to propose a system of viewpoints, principles, mechanisms, policies, etc., in the development of military and national defence doctrines, theories, and strategies for safeguarding the Motherland, especially in the theory of warfare and methods of defending the Motherland in the era of the 4^th Industrial Revolution.

Fourth, enhance cooperation in military and national defence theoretical research. Given the complex military and national defence dynamics in the world and the region, along with the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the theoretical system in general, military and national defence theories in particular, has developed in a diverse and multidimensional manner. Therefore, it is necessary to promote domestic and international cooperation to provide and share information, experiences, research products, and theoretical achievements among research institutions within and outside the Military, between domestic agencies and international research institutes. Currently, there are numerous ideologies, theories, and strategies related to military, national defence, warfare, and armed forces globally. This field also involves sensitive content related to military and national secrets, which requires careful selection of international partners, the content and scope of cooperation, information sharing, materials and technology transfer of research products. Therefore, it is important to strengthen activities such as workshops and conferences, both domestically and internationally, both in-person and online. In addition, we should actively coordinate the research of theoretical and practical works on doctrine, theory, and strategy with partner countries, especially neighbouring ones, traditional friends, and strategic partners, to exchange and learn from each other’s expertise. Emphasis should be placed on collaboration in training research personnel with countries that have advantages in this field. Additionally, attention should be given to cooperation in building modern military and national defence research institutions to meet the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the cause of safeguarding the Motherland early and from afar.

Senior Colonel, Dr. NGUYEN MINH THUC - Senior Colonel LE VAN HUONG, Institute of Defence Strategy