As a province in the South Central Coast, with the interweaving of plains and mountains and the development of airport, seaports, railway and roads, Phu Yen has many advantages in building its defensive zones’ military posture, consolidating national defence and security, and fostering socio-economic and cultural development.

Fully aware that the military posture, potential and force are important  components of a defensive zone, over the years, the Provincial Military Command (PMC) has given advice to the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee and cooperated with departments and relevant sectors in drastically, synchronously adopting measures for building the defensive zones’ military posture. The plan for building the military posture has been developed closely, scientifically, properly. Components of the defensive zones’ military posture, particularly key defence-military and dual-purpose works have been constructed, supplemented and gradually completed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The management, maintenance, and use of those works have been under the regulations. To obtain those good results, the PMC has well implemented several measures as follows.

First, frequently conduct the work of propagation and education to raise cadres, party members and citizens’ awareness and responsibility for the building of defensive zones. This measure plays an important role in achieving a sense of consensus within the political system and amongst all people. Therefore, the PMC has advised the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and Fatherland Front on measures for propagation and education, with significance attached to renewing and making the contents, forms and methods of education brief, easy to understand, and relevant to the characteristics of each group of people and the task of each office, unit and locality, thereby rendering cadres, party members and citizens fully aware of the importance of building defensive zones and their military posture in the current period. Emphasis has been placed on disseminating the 8^th Politburo’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22^nd, 2008, the Government’s Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated February 22^nd, 2019 (formerly the Decree 152/2007/NĐ-CP) and other resolutions and directives by the province on the defensive zones. While giving sound advice to local party committees and authorities, the PMC has closely cooperated with the Provincial Propaganda and Education Commission and Fatherland Front Committee as well as central and local press agencies, especially the Provincial Television and Radio in conducting the work of propagation and education via many scientific, proper measures. In this regard, great value has been attached to holding talk shows about revolutionary tradition and including the building of defensive zones in meetings and cultural programmes. It should be noted that the province has organised meetings with senior-level leaders, especially the Central and provincial-level ones living and working within the province in order to promote their knowledge and experience in building the defensive zones’ military posture. Doing so has enabled the province to produce a ripple effect on all authorities, forces and sectors, raise the awareness and responsibility of its cadres, party members, and people towards the building of military posture, and mobilise the people’s material and spiritual resources in the building of defensive zones and the defence of the province itself.

The provincial armed forces and citizens repairing a coastal road

Second, actively assess and adjust plans for building military works in accordance with the province’s particularities. Grounded on the province’s master plan for socio-economic development and defence-security consolidation approved by the Prime Minister, the plan for using national defence land, the combat determination, plans and projects, and the plan for building military works within the defensive zones, the PMC has worked with committees, sectors and departments to evaluate the plan for the quantity, quality and positions of defensive works, particularly the key, long-term ones, such as combat bases, rear bases, logistics and technical bases, headquarters, tunnels, and coastal combat works. Doing so has allowed the province to closely manage and effectively use military works, formulate and execute the plans for building the defensive zones’ military posture in the upcoming time.

In addition, the PMC has closely cooperated with competent offices of the province, the Military Region 5, districts and cities in studying and assessing the province’s terrain, climate, hydrological and socio-economic conditions to identify the quantity and scale of military works to be constructed in each year and period in an inter-connected, solid, basic, in-depth manner and make them relevant to each area’s characteristics, the provincial armed forces’ combat method, and each locality’s purpose of use and conditions. More specifically, the province has concentrated on adjusting the plan for several items within provincial and district-level logistics bases, building the district-level shooting ranges of Suoi Cuoi and Dong Xuan into provincial-level ones, constructing a logistics base in the city of Tuy Hoa as an example for other districts to follow. In the process of construction, the province has always taken advantage of on-the-spot materials and usable works, consulted retired cadres and learnt from other provinces’ experiences. Doing so has helped the province to ensure the quality and effectiveness of building its defensive zones’ military posture and avoid wastefulness.

Third, focus on building dual-purpose military works in a focalised manner. Due to the limited budget, the PMC has closely cooperated with the Border Guard Force and the Public Security Force in advising the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee on directing the building of military works. Priority has been given to constructing important, essential dual-purpose works in accordance with each area’s characteristics. The province has required its coastal districts and cities to build military works that would serve the defence task, facilitate socio-economic development and meet the public demand, with a focus on commerce, services and tourism. Those localities have been asked to make investments in upgrading and building coastal roads, tourist destinations, deep-water seaports for large vessels as well as tunnels, clusters of defensive positions, and battlefields in the coastal and island areas. Moreover, the province has placed great value on upgrading the airport of Tuy Hoa and the seaports of Vung Ro and Bai Goc as the important works serving the defence-security task.

In the mountainous districts of Song Hinh, Son Hoa and Dong Xuan, the province has focused on selecting and taking advantage of natural caves and terrains of tactical value to repair and upgrade, while building new headquarters at all levels, evacuation zones, combat bases, logistics and technical bases, and shelters for citizens, weapons, equipment and materials. In the districts of Dong Hoa, Tuy Hoa and Song Cau which have been assigned to develop both civilian and military industries, the PMC has advised the province on adjusting their plans for building the military posture and rearranging residential areas to establish clusters of combat villages and communes as well as secret zones in wartime. At the same time, priority has been given to upgrading and building works for the people’s life and the defence-security missions in the event, such as the system of roads, health centres, and telecommunications establishments. With the sound advice from the PMC, the province has managed to build the military work in their defensive zones as the basis for fostering socio-economic development in its areas and enhancing its defensive zones’ military posture.

Fourth, promote the provincial armed forces’ role in building the military posture. The construction of military posture is the responsibility of the entire political system and all forces, sectors and people, with the armed forces playing a core role. Grasping and implementing the Plan 57/KH-UBND, dated April 28^th, 2016 by the Provincial People’s Committee on continuing to build Phu Yen into a solid defensive zone in the period of 2016-2020 and the Project on ensuring defence and security in the period of 2015-2020, with orientation towards 2030, the PMC has proactively given advice to the province on strengthening the state management of national defence, issuing and executing resolutions, directives and action programmes. At the same time, it has closely managed, appraised, evaluated and supervised socio-economic development projects and industrial zones in its areas relating to the military-defence task under the Law on National Defence, the Decree No.21 and other legal normative documents.

Besides, the PMC has cooperated with functional agencies of the province and the Military Region 5 in drafting and developing regulations which would enable the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to lead, direct and instruct authorities, sectors and localities to formulate and execute plans under their road maps, ensuring the quality, effectiveness, safety and secrecy in the management and building of defence works. It has also worked with the Department of Planning and Investment and the Department of Finance to make budget estimates for each work under the financial and legal regulations. Besides, the PMC, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Transport have cooperated with districts and cities in adjusting plans for constructing traffic works, establishing a land bank for military works, and advised the province on implementing those plans. It is worth noting that the PMC has worked with the Department of Construction and relevant offices to give instructions on building civilian defensive works within the defensive zones in a uniform, synchronous, proper fashion so as to improve the cooperative capacity and promote the provincial armed forces’ role in the settlement of situations, in fire, natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control as well as in search and rescue.

Those above-mentioned results and measures provide an important foundation for Phu Yen to keep making its military posture and defensive zone posture increasingly strong to contribute to maintaining political security and social order and safety as well as building a more prosperous, civilised and modern province.

Sr. Col. LUONG KE DIEM, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Military Party Committee, Commander of the PMC