Enhancing resources for defence and security represents a strategic policy of our Party and State, aimed at increasing the country’s synergy for the Homeland protection both in the long and medium term. Therefore, this policy should continue to be further researched and properly, effectively applied to practice.

Grounded on lessons learned from the building of resources for defence mobilisation and the Homeland protection in order to bring into play the country’s synergy and defeat wars of aggression waged by enemies with overwhelming military superiority over us in our history of national liberation and protection, our Party attached importance to building and mobilising all resources for wars and the Homeland protection. As a result, tens of thousands of young citizens and millions of tons of weapons, ammunition, and goods were mobilised, exploited, and opportunely provided for battlefields and all people to fight enemies. At the same time, the people’s armed forces were gradually built and developed, with tremendous victories in the wars for national liberation and in the construction and protection of the Socialist Homeland. Nowadays, under the Party’s leadership, our defence-security potential has been increasingly consolidated; political security has been maintained; the all-people national defence, the people’s security, and the posture of all-people national defence associated with the posture of people’s security as well as provincial-level defensive zones have been made increasingly strong, while the “posture of people’s hearts and minds” has been cemented. Resources for defence and security have been unceasingly solid and comprehensive to meet the requirements of national construction and protection. The system of laws, strategies, and projects on defence and security has been step by step completed and rather synchronously executed. Due regard has been paid to combining socio-economic and cultural development with defence-security consolidation. The arrangement of residential areas has been gradually adjusted to be relevant to plans of socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation. Defence and security industries, particularly industrial mobilisation facilities have been developed to be capable of manufacturing many types of dual-purpose goods for defence-security task and socio-economic development in peacetime, while maintaining readiness for wartime.

However, during the preparation of resources for defence and security, a combination of socio-economic development and defence-security consolidation in several fields and regions has yet to be really close or effective. The building of defence potential, force, and posture in some sectors and localities has yet to be solid. Investments in defensive zones have yet to be commensurate with economic potential and growth. The preservation and mobilisation of resources for defence and security in a number of sectors and localities have been still limited. Cyber security and safety work has yet to be close.

That situation necessitates us continuing increasing national synergy and comprehensively preparing resources to firmly protect the Homeland and avoid falling into passivity. Hence, this article will put forward several proposals to strengthen resources for defence, security, and the Homeland protection in the new situation.

1. Enhance the Party’s leadership and the State’s management towards the building and mobilisation of resources for defence and security. This is a measure of paramount importance to ensuring that the building and mobilisation of resources for defence and security will always be close, scientific, and effective. To that end, sectors and localities should continue grasping and effectively implementing the Party’s guidelines and policies on defence-security work and especially the building and mobilisation of defence-security potential for the Homeland protection. Emphasis should be placed on leading, managing, and operating the building and mobilisation of resources for defence and security. Due attention should be paid to bettering the efficiency of all-level party committees’ leadership, boosting the effectiveness of management and operation of authorities and heads of ministries and sectors, and improving staff work performed by all-level military and public security offices. Mechanisms for leading, managing, and operating the building and mobilisation of resources at the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security should be well implemented. Due attention should be paid to stepping up the work of propagation and education to render cadres, party members, and citizens fully aware of the building and mobilisation of resources for defence, security, and the Homeland protection. It is necessary to build pure, strong party organisations, authorities, and a contingent of cadres to meet the requirements set by defence-security task and the Homeland protection in the new situation, align the responsibility of party committees, commands, and heads of ministries, sectors, localities, and the armed forces with the building and mobilisation of resources for defence and security, continue perfecting policies and laws on defence-security mobilisation work, closely inspect, supervise, and audit the building and mobilisation of resources for defence, security, and the Homeland protection.

2. Promote synergy created by the entire political system and people in the building and mobilisation of resources for defence and security. Resources for defence, security, and the Homeland protection include personnel, means, facilities, finance, science, and technology; they are prepared in peacetime and will be mobilised for defence-security task in the event of a war. Those resources are relevant to all political, economic, cultural, and social fields and play a decisive role in the country’s defence-security strength. Therefore, it is vital to promote the synergy of central and local sectors, the armed forces, and the entire political system. Emphasis should be placed on closely combining socio-economic and cultural development with defence, security, and diplomacy and vice versa in each strategy and plan in order to build all resources of the national economy. At the same time, significance should be attached to building resources for defence needs in the first year of a war, developing a powerful reserve force, readily expanding the militia and self-defence force, constructing and making industrial mobilisation and socio-economic facilities ready for defence-security task.

However, in fact, it is not easy to mobilise any resource for defence and security; there should be mobilisation-related surveys and plans/projects of each ministry, sector, and locality right in peacetime. Great value should be attached to organising training courses and exercises in order to opportunely, effectively mobilise all resources for defence-security task in the event. Moreover, it is essential to bring into play the synergy of the entire political system and people, raise the quality of defence and security education for all cadres and citizens, particularly for key leaders of authorities, sectors, politico-social organisations, unions, and enterprises from Central to local levels, and enhance the work of propagation and education to raise all people’s awareness and responsibility for defence-security mobilisation and encourage each citizen’s devotion to defence-security task.

3. Perfect the system of laws, mechanisms, and policies for defence-security mobilisation. So far, our Party and State have paid due regard to developing and rather sufficiently promulgating the system of legal documents and policies for defence-security mobilisation; those documents have been relatively effectively implemented. However, some statutory regulations on defence-security mobilisation have yet to keep pace with the development of reality and the requirements of international integration; they have yet to bring into play the potential and strengths of all aspects of social life for defence-security task. Therefore, competent offices and relevant organisations should continue giving advice to the Party and the State on completing the system of mechanisms and policies for defence-security mobilisation. Emphasis should be placed on perfecting laws, mechanisms, and policies to combine socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation, design the Industrial Mobilisation Law, maintain cooperation between ministries, sectors, localities, organisations, and enterprises in defence-security mobilisation, and encourage the mobilisation of resources, especially human resources from foreign-invested economic projects for defence-security task. It is important to continue reviewing and assessing the appropriateness of legal documents and the feasibility of current policies, and seeking for missing contents or irrelevances to defence-security mobilisation to be supplemented, completed, and developed both in the long and medium term.

4. Strengthen training work and reviews of defence-security mobilisation. In order to effectively practise defence-security mobilisation, central and local committees and sectors, offices, units, and enterprises should thoroughly grasp the task, requirements, and targets of annual defence-security mobilisation set by the Government, while adhering to guiding documents by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security to develop plans, contents, and programmes of defence-security mobilisation training and exercises in a synchronous, close, scientific manner. Greater importance should be attached to raising the quality of training under the motto of “basics, practicality, thorough grasp,” making training work relevant to the mobilisation requirements and task of each ministry, sector, office, unit, and enterprise, organising training courses according to mobilisation plans/projects, and combining basic theories with the sharing of experience. It is necessary to carefully, comprehensively make preparations for exercises, while due attention should be paid to closely, scientifically leading, directing, and commanding exercises. Besides, contents of exercises must be practical and relevant to defence-security situations and civil defence project/plans.

After each training and exercise season, it is vital to organise conferences to draw lessons to improve the quality of training and exercises, supplement and adjust plans/projects of defence-security mobilisation in line with the development of the Homeland construction and protection in the new period.

Sr. Col. LE DUC TIEN, PhD, National Defence Academy