The province of Bac Giang holds a position of importance to the Military Region 1’s general defensive posture and acts as a “protective shield” in the Northern gateway to the capital city of Hanoi. Fully aware of that, over the past 75 years, the provincial armed forces of Bac Giang have always promoted their core role in the military-defence work. Notably, they have proactively grasped and correctly anticipated the situation to give advice to the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee on issuing documents on performing the military-defence task and building the all-people national defence. Besides, they have cooperated with provincial department, committees, and sectors in counselling, guiding, and inspecting the execution of the military-defence task and the building of the all-people national defence in a close, effective manner. The provincial armed forces’ quality of training and operation has been improved. They have well provided defence and security education for all groups of learners. The defensive zones’ potential and posture, particularly the politico-spiritual potential, the military posture, and the posture of “people’s hearts and minds” have been consolidated. As a result, the all-level party committees and authorities’ leadership and management of national defence have been enhanced as the basis for maintaining political security and social order and safety as well as boosting socio-economic development within localities. The provincial armed forces have always taken the lead in the Military Region 1’s Determination to Win Emulation Movement and the province’s Patriotic Emulation Movement. With their outstanding achievements in the past 75 years, the province’s armed forces, 10 districts and cities, 45 communes, wards and townships, and 29 individuals have been given the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces and many other noble awards by the State.

Sr. Col. Le Van Thang, Commander of the Provincial Military Command encouraging new recruits

To earn those achievements, first of all, the Provincial Military Party Committee (PMPC) and the Provincial Military Command (PMC) have played a core role in giving advice on the leadership and direction by the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee over the military-defence work. Thoroughly grasping our Party and State’s guidelines and policies as well as higher echelons’ resolutions and directives on the military-defence work, the PMC has counselled the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to issue resolutions, directives, and legal normative documents for carrying out this work in a uniformed, close fashion. Great value has been attached to helping the province to renew the all-level party committees and authorities’ leadership and management of the military-defence task, studying and concretising legal documents on national defence, the militia and self-defence force, defence and security education, and military service, reviewing, supplementing, and completing the regulations on the building and operation of defensive zones. At the same time, due regard has been paid to issuing documents on assigning responsibilities and duties to offices and sectors for building the all-level national defence, combining socio-economic development with national defence, security, and diplomacy, developing potential and posture within the defensive zones, and mobilising economic resources for national defence. The PMC has frequently grasped the situation and closely cooperated with the Public Security Force and other relevant forces in correctly assessing and anticipating the situation as the basis for advising the province on dealing with issues related to national defence and security, thereby avoiding falling into passivity. Thanks to the all-level military offices’ staff work, the province has formulated and effectively executed the Action Programme 50-CTr/TU, the Directive 19-CT/TU on enhancing leadership over the implementation of the Resolution 28-NQ/TW, the Plan 53-KH/TU on the Party’s leadership over the militia and self-defence force and the reserve force in the new situation, the Directive 14/CT-UBND on the building of defensive zones in the period of 2015-2020 as well as many projects and documents on performing the military-defence work. Consequently, this work has always been closely, uniformly directed and led to handle defence-security situations.

As the standing agencies of the Steering Boards for building the defensive zones at all levels, the PMC and district-level military offices have closely managed national defence lands and works in their areas, while reviewing and appraising socio-economic development plans and projects within the province and localities, with emphasis placed on foreign-invested projects in the key areas of defence and security. The PMC has helped the Provincial People’s Committee to direct, adjust, and formulate the plans on national defence disposition associated with socio-economic development in the period of 2011-2020, the use of national defence lands towards 2020, the building of military posture within provincial and district-level defensive zones, the system of shooting ranges and training grounds towards 2020 and beyond, and the construction of national defence works within the provincial defensive zone in the period of 2015-2020 within the law. Since 2008, the PMC has advised the Provincial People’s Committee on investing more than 700 billion VND in constructing the headquarters of the PMC, district-level military commands, Regiment 831, and Provincial Military School, the national defence works within combat bases, army rear bases, and logistics-technical bases as well as several dual-use works for the purposes of socio-economic development, public service, and force manoeuvre in natural disaster mitigation, search and rescue and in the event. Moreover, it has cooperated with competent offices of the Ministry of National Defence, the Military Region 1, units stationed in its area, and localities in uniformly taking measures for closely managing 79 national defence positions with a total area of over 360 hectares.

Consideration has been given to grasping the viewpoint on facilitating socio-economic development and consolidating the all-people national defence and the provincial and district-level defensive zones at the same time. More specifically, all socio-economic development plans and projects within the province’s area have been appraised by the all-level military offices under the Prime Minister’s Decision 13/2012/QĐ-TTg, dated February 23^rd, 2012 on combining socio-economic development with national defence within a defensive zone. As a result, in spite of strong socio-economic development within the province’s area, all of the province’s industrial zone projects have been carefully surveyed, appraised, and managed. Socio-economic development has been combined with national defence, security, and diplomacy under the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy. Localities’ economic growth has been closely associated with the protection of national defence works and military zones while the province’s defensive zone posture has been maintained.

As the standing agencies of the all-level Defence and Security Education Councils, the PMC and local military offices have promoted their core role in counselling and helping the Councils to step up defence and security education for all groups of learners. To do so, the PMC has proactively given advice to the Provincial Defence and Security Education Council and People’s Committee and cooperated with sectors and organisations in strictly executing the Politburo’s Directive 12-CT/TW on enhancing the Party’s leadership over defence and security education in the new situation and the Law on defence and security education as well as conducting surveys and developing plans on defence and security education for each group of learners under the regulations. The PMC has advised the province on mobilising resources and allocating budget for upgrading facilities and acquiring training equipment and materials to meet the increasingly high requirements set by defence and security education. The province has invested hundreds of billions of VND in the Provincial Defence and Security Education Centre and put it into operation. On a yearly basis, the province fulfils all targets of defence and security education, thereby contributing to raising the awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members, ethnic minority people, students, and locals within the province towards the military-defence and Homeland protection task.

The Provincial Military Party Committee has placed emphasis on making the provincial armed forces compact and comprehensively strong in accordance with each force’ task and each area’s particularities. Priority has been given to sufficiently staffing units tasked with combat readiness and the A2 mission. Significance has been attached to enhancing the work of political and ideological education to build up cadres and soldiers’ political zeal and prevent the signs of degradation in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle as well as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation.” A focus has been placed on making the standing force “revolutionary, regular, seasoned, gradually modern,” and especially strong politically. Due attention has been paid to renewing the training programmes and methods while greater importance has been attached to organising and making synchronous, intensive training relevant to combat situations and operational areas in accordance with localities’ practical conditions and the enemy’s hi-tech warfare. Units within the provincial armed forces have closely combined training with combat projects, improved the quality of training and defensive zone exercises, and practised the projects on natural disaster prevention and control and search and rescue. In 2019, the province held a provincial defensive zone exercise and directed district-level defensive zone exercises in the districts of Lang Giang and Yen Dung, which were highly appreciated by the Military Region 1 and the Ministry of National Defence. The militia and self-defence force has been made strong and extensive, with the proper quantity and the increasingly high quality. It has been organised under the project on the building, training, and operation of the militia and self-defence force by the province. Up to now, the province has built over 400 militia and self-defence establishments. The number of members of this force has accounted for 1.54% of the population. The rate of party members within this force has been 21.5%. Reservists within the province have been closely managed and nearly 8% of them are party members. Annually, 100% of targets of training and exercise for the reserve force have been fulfilled.

Being proud of their 75-year period of construction, combat, and development, the provincial armed forces of Bac Giang will continue improving the synergy and combat power and well performing their core role in the military-defence work to make great contributions to the Provincial Party Organisation, Authority, and locals’ successful fulfilment of the military-defence mission in the new situation.

Sr. Col. Le Van Thang, Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Board, Commander of the PMC