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Monday, August 13, 2018, 09:48 (GMT+7)
Some measures to enhance the effectiveness of countering the enemy’s psychological warfare in Military Region 7’s defensive operations

The enemy’s psychological warfare adds further complication to defensive operations by the Vietnamese military in general and Military Region 7 in particular. Countering the enemy’s psychological warfare constitutes a matter of importance in the interests of preserving ideological bases and upholding political and spiritual strength, thereby enabling Military Region 7 to fulfil their assigned military and defense tasks.

Psychological warfare involves measures and artifices employed by hostile forces aimed at undermining the people and opposing armed forces’ state of politics and mind. Nowadays, psychological warfare constitutes a major component of the “Peaceful Evolution” Strategy, subversion and military aggressions by imperialists and hostile forces against independent and sovereign countries, the focal point of which is Vietnam.

When it comes to military regions’ defensive operations, Military Region 7 has attached much importance to countering psychological warfare right in peacetime. In order to effectively deal with the enemy’s new plots, artifices and operational methods in psychological warfare, in April 2018, Military Region 7 completed a ministerial-level research project on countering the enemy’s psychological warfare in military regions’ defensive operations, which is highly appreciated by the Ministry of National Defense and local administrations. Below are some suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of countering the enemy’s psychological warfare as part of military regions’ defensive operations.

First, proactively introducing measures against psychological warfare right in peacetime as part of military regions’ defensive operations. The “Peaceful Evolution” strategy and subversion by hostile forces against Vietnam are aimed at provoking internal divisions, sullying the Party and State’s reputation, negating the Party’s leadership, “depoliticizing the military”, promoting “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within, etc. In actual fact, those are exactly artifices of the enemy’s psychological warfare, which has become more sophisticated and wicked in the new situation. In order to effectively counter those artifices, it is necessary to strengthen Party organizations, administrations and the political system at all levels in both peacetime and wartime. Accordingly, apart from promoting awareness and political zeal among cadres, Party members, the masses and local administrations, military regions should pay attention to building a socialist state ruled by law and “of the people, by the people and for the people”, strictly  obeying regulations on democracy at grassroots level, promoting the people's right to mastery, combating corruption and negative practices, as well as enhancing socio-economic and cultural development in order to achieve the goal of “a prosperous people and a strong, democratic, equitable and civilized country”. At the same time, military regions should proactively raise public awareness of plots, artifices and dangers of psychological warfare and build an “anti-psychological warfare” posture based on the all-people national defense and the posture of the people’s security. To this end, the posture of “the people’s hearts and minds” should be built first, enabling the masses to fully trust the Party, the State and the socialist regime and to willingly rise up and sacrifice their lives in the interests of Homeland protection. Furthermore, importance should be attached to building specialized units, including the media, socio-political organizations, Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels, as well as closely combining economic and cultural development with military and scientific-technological advances.

Second, making military regions’ armed forces comprehensively strong and capable of playing a core role in countering the enemy’s psychological warfare as part of defensive operations. Defensive operations by military regions are among the first ones to occur in a possible war of Homeland protection, involving different forces and warfighting methods with military regions’ armed forces as the nucleus. Therefore, making military regions’ armed forces comprehensively strong, particularly in political terms, is a matter of utmost importance as to enhancing their combat power and making them capable of successfully fulfilling assigned tasks, including countering the enemy’s psychological warfare. To this end, agencies and units should further enhance the quality of political and ideological education, thereby making cadres and soldiers fully aware of the Marxist-Leninist doctrine, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party’s lines, the State’s policies and law, as well as the military and military regions’ duties in the new situation. It is necessary to thoroughly grasp Directive 23-CT/TW by the 12th Party Central Committee’s Secretariat “on continuing to enhance the quality and effectiveness of studying, applying and developing the Marxist-Leninist doctrine and Ho Chi Minh Thought” and Project on “renovating political education at grassroots level in the new situation”, thereby ensuring “immunity” and widespread and effective participation in countering the enemy’s psychological warfare. Emphasis should be placed on making military agencies at all levels comprehensively strong and capable of providing helpful advice for local administrations on countering the enemy’s psychological warfare. The armed forces should continue to enhance their quality of military training and combat readiness with a view to adequately dealing with defense and security incidents and effectively practising defensive operations, thereby laying a foundation for the increased effectiveness of countering the enemy’s psychological warfare.

Countering the enemy’s psychological warfare in the new situation entails advanced warfighting methods and a high level of professionalism, as a result of which specialised forces are required. In military regions’ defensive operations, anti-psychological warfare forces should be organized into different spheres, including the mass media, cyber space, mass mobilization at grassroots level. For the sake of their boosted performance, those forces should be made “compact, strong and flexible”. Cadres and soldiers are to possess great political zeal, good communication skills, deep devotion, dogged determination and a high level of professional competence in order to make themselves capable of effectively managing and using state-of-the-art equipment in cyberspace for safeguarding the ideological bases of the Party and the socialist regime.

Third, constantly keeping a close watch on military regions’ defensive operations, thereby flexibly employing formats and methods to counter the enemy’s psychological warfare. Countering the enemy’s psychological warfare in military regions’ defensive operations involves multiple formats and methods. It is mainly contingent on the results of military struggle. Depending on specific circumstances, military regions could wage all-out struggles in political, diplomatic, legal and cultural terms, thereby considerably besetting the enemy’s propaganda apparatus and leadership and throwing them into confusion, and popularizing the enemy’s unjust war for the people of the hostile country and the progressive people in the world and rallying their support for our just war. At the same time, various measures should be employed, particularly in theoretical terms in order to make the masses fully aware of hostile forces’ reactionary, unscientific and misleading views aimed at giving rise to disunity among the Party, the State, the military and the people whereby our ideological and cultural bases can be preserved. Up-to-date, unbiased and authoritative information should be spread in a widespread and timely manner in order to kindle national pride, patriotism and solidarity among the masses and to deepen internal divisions between reactionary forces at home and hostile forces abroad. Simultaneously, appropriate measures should be adopted to safeguard our ideological bases, to prevent the spread of bad and toxic information and to preclude the use of internet networks for propaganda against the Vietnamese state. Party and political work should be brought into line with each locality, each military operation and each period of time to make the armed forces always strong politically, ideologically and organizationally.

Fourth, making thorough preparations for countering the enemy’s psychological warfare. To this end, importance should be attached to grasping the enemy’s situation and boosting the performance of Party organizations, administrations, socio-political organizations, armed forces and specialized forces, which constitutes a matter of importance and a foundation for our good plans of action against their psychological warfare. Thoroughly grasping the enemy’s plots and artifices in psychological warfare should be conducted comprehensively, scientifically and regularly before, during and after operations through flexible and appropriate formats and measures. Special attention should be paid to areas of strategic importance, key targets, hot spots and the enemy’s disposition of forces and weaponry. Also, careful preparations for our propaganda and armed forces should be made right in peacetime and be reviewed annually to match military regions’ organizational structure and localities’ socio-economic development levels while preferential investments should be made in specialized equipment earmarked for countering the enemy’s psychological warfare to meet the peacetime and wartime exigencies.

Countering the enemy’s psychological warfare in defensive operations by military regions in general and by Military Region 7 in particular, is a new and evolving matter, which requires comprehensive and serious research studies. Above are just some preliminary studies on enhancing the effectiveness of countering the enemy’s psychological warfare in military regions’ defensive operations, and therefore there is still room for improvement.

Lt. Gen. Vo Minh Luong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Commander of the Military Region 7

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