Defence mobilisation is to strengthen the military and defence power of the country; to prepare the forces and vehicles for the armed forces and people to timely and effectively solve and win all defence situations (if they happen). This is an extremely important issue which must be thoroughly researched in both theories and reality.

As we all know, right after the national reunification, our entire Party, people and troops have been starting to do two strategic tasks, i.e. building and safeguarding the Fatherland. Accordingly, together with enhancing the industrialisation, modernisation and in-depth international integration to develop the country, our Party and State have highly appreciated the consolidation and strength of defence and security. However, in the situation that there have still existed many complicated and unpredictable changes; the dangers threatening the country’s peace, stability and development have not been completely prevented and repelled, even they have increased in some times, concealing many unpredictable dangers, our Party has made several defence guidelines and policies to meet the demands for building and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. Among which, defence mobilisation is a crucial strategy-oriented issue to early prepare all resources of the country, and advocate “defending the country when it is still in peace”, readily mobilise all resources of economy and the country to the defence tasks in all situations.

Based on the National Defence Law 2018 and the research of reality, this article intends to propose several main contents and solutions for defence mobilisation as follows:

Firstly, it is necessary to see that political-spiritual mobilisation is a decisive strategic issue in defence mobilisation in order to reinforce the trust and create the overall power of the whole people to the cause of building and safeguarding the Fatherland. Especially, in the present situation, bringing into play the nation’s indomitable traditions in struggling against foreign invaders, upholding the vigilance and clearly understanding the nature of the hostile forces appear to have more important meanings, creating strong motivations for the entire Party, army and people to overcome difficulties, hardships and challenges. To do the political-spiritual mobilisation in new conditions, it requires all levels, agencies, localities, forces and the whole people to continuously bring into play the resilient and indomitable traditions in struggling against the foreign invaders, and lessons on the nation’s lofty sacrifice, resilience, etc., through which, to create the great political-spiritual power in the cause of defence and safeguarding the Fatherland. It is necessary to pay attention to educating, propagandising and mobilising all classes of people to stabilise and uphold the vigilance, clearly realise the nature, plots and tricks of the hostile forces in order to build a high political determination, the united efforts and unanimity of the whole society readily suffering from sacrifice and hardships to firmly protect the Fatherland and the people’s peaceful life. This is the task for not only the armed forces but also the whole political system and the entire people to ensure the stability and development of the country in the new situation.

Promoting the role of defence industry and defence mobilisation in the new situation (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

Secondly, mobilising human resources, especially in the crucial time, status and main defence situations. To well execute this content, in our opinion, it is initially necessary to do the registration and management of reserved soldiers; build the staff and deploy the reserve soldiers into reserve units; select and train the reserve officers; train, exercise and check the mobilisation and combat readiness of the reserve soldiers and units; conduct the party work and political work; ensure the logistic, technical and financial support in building the reserve force. However, at present, given the multi-dimensional effects of the market mechanism, the management, building and mobilisation of this force need to be synchronously and closely combined with the suitable renovation of mechanisms and policies to best mobilise the quality and quantity of reserve soldiers for the defence demands. In building the self-defence and militia, together with registering and managing the civilians who have already or not yet finished the military service at the age of joining the self-defence and militia, it is necessary to build the human resources for the economy, which contribute to deciding the human resources for the defence tasks in all defence statuses, especially in wars (such as producing, repairing, logistic supporting, road building, transporting, etc.); being ready for the national defence according to the regulations of the current law.

Together with the work of building, the mobilisation of people, especially the reserve force in defence mobilisation is an important but complicated issue related to many levels, industries and fields of the social life, which requires many close and scientific phases and steps. As a result, to carry out this issue, it is necessary to strictly grasp, implement and follow each stage and step i.e. announcing the mobilisation decision and order; conducting the transportation, handing and receiving of the reserved soldiers; conducting the party work and political work; ensuring the logistic, technical and financial support for mobilising and receiving the reserved soldiers, etc. For the self-defence and militia, they are mobilised only when having the local and general mobilisation order or when declaring a state of emergency due to disasters, natural calamities, dangerous diseases or situations seriously threatening the national security, social order and safety. For mobilising the human resources of the economy for defence tasks, it is a must to follow the regulations of the law, i.e. announcing the mobilisation decision and order; gathering, transporting, handing and receiving the mobilised forces; conducting the spiritual and political work, and assuring the logistic, technical and financial support.

Thirdly, mobilising technical materials and vehicles of the economy is one of the important contents to create the motives and overall power in defence mobilisation. Therefore, the registration and management of the reserved technical vehicles have a decisive meaning to the quality and effectiveness of this work. To increase the feasibility, in our opinion, right in peacetime, it is necessary to well conduct the staff organisation, the arrangement of the reserved technical vehicles into the reserved units; carry out frequent training, exercising, and checking of the mobilisation readiness (both vehicles and the owners) and assure the logistic, technical and financial support in mobilisation. In particular, it is necessary to pay more attention to building industrial enterprises which are mobilised for defence according to the legal regulations; intensely research and select the technical materials and vehicles; evaluate the financial sources; build projects and plans, assign the mobilisation targets; transmit and maintain the production and repair chains of weapons and equipment; register and manage the technical materials and vehicles, and financial sources;  conduct training, further training, exercising, and checking of the mobilisation readiness; ensure finance and technical materials in building the mobilisation sources of the economy.

In the context that our country is facing the intertwined opportunities and challenges, which requires that, right in peacetime, the industrial mobilisation must be done in width and depth with focuses as well. In the short term, it needs to mobilise civil industrial enterprises to take part in producing and repairing the dual-purposed products, readily meeting the demands for defence if necessary. In the long term, the State is going to maximise the productivity of the defence industries and mobilise part or entire of the productivity of the civil industries according to the legal regulations on industrial mobilisation. When transferring to the defence statuses, the State requires most of the civil companies to make products for defence services, expand the scale of production of goods serving the needs for the wars; complement or replace with new technological production lines; reduce the unnecessary and non-urgent goods; give priority in distributing materials, equipment and production methods to meet the defence demands; encourage cadres and technical-specialised personnel of all agencies and enterprises to serve the national defence, and promulgate policies on working and activities of officials and workers in wartime, etc.

Fourthly, mobilising science and technology (including both building and mobilising contents) in defence mobilisation. This is an important but difficult issue if there are not any suitable mechanisms and solutions. Therefore, mobilising science and technology in all defence statuses should base on the reality to build plans, assign the mobilisation targets and transfer technologies, results of scientific and technological research, and results of technological development for national defence, at the same time, well carry out the registration and management of scientific and technological centres; train, retrain, exercise, and check the mobilisation readiness; and ensure the finance for building such important mobilisation sources.

Together, it is necessary to pay attention to reorganising the related fields of scientific research for the defence tasks; enhancing the procedure of exchanging information and data, coordinating to exploit, build and repair the scientific and technological database; mobilising scientific and technological cadres, materials, vehicles and equipment to military scientific and technological centres; mobilising technical specialists, cadres and personnel to make research on scientific and technological items which are demanded in wars; mobilising the scientific and technological potentials of the State to make research and development of sciences and technologies for the national defence; and applying the suitable methods of mobilisation.

Fifthly, moving the structure, staff, activities of ministries, agencies, localities to the defence statuses, focusing on organising the system of command and operation, moving a part of the national economy to support the defence tasks suitably with each defence status. In the implementation process, it is necessary to grasp, thoroughly understand and follow the plans of defence mobilisation under the orders of the competent authorities, and intensely carry out activities such as: expanding the armed forces according to the plans of each status of defence and combat readiness; organising the evacuation, dispersion, movement of forces, vehicles, production facilities, offices, organisations and people according to the plans of each defence status; defining the tasks and authorities on defence of ministries, central and local organs in each defence status; supplying services and distribution at wartime; enhancing the manufacturing emulation, and saving practice; paying attention to support the armed forces; stipulating the regulations of working, meetings, activities of production and distribution of the economy at wartime; ensuring the timely and thorough information, communication, announcement and alarm in wartime.

Defence mobilisation plays a crucial role in the strategy of safeguarding the Fatherland, especially in the context of erratically complicated and unforeseeable changes in the region and the world. Hence, researching and executing all contents of the defence mobilisation not only help effectively prevent and deal with all threats from the outsides, but also are stable foundations to bring into play the overall power of the whole nation in the cause of building and safeguarding the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel, Assoc. Prof., Dr. NGUYEN LONG, National Defence Academy