Protection the Fatherland from afar is a consistent position identified in the Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW, dated 16 April 2018, of the Politburo (12th tenure) on Viet Nam National Defence Strategy. This viewpoint deserves further research, extensive and intensive popularisation, and effective implementation, contributing to firm protection of the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland in any situations.

Protection of the Fatherland from afar is all of activities undertaken by the Party, State, political system, and entire people with the armed forces playing the core role in order to detect, prevent, and defeat hostile forces’ plots and acts of sabotage at the early time to defend the socialist Fatherland firmly in any situations. On grasping that spirit, over the past few years, the entire Party, people, and military have shown solidarity and unity of willpower and actions; proactively had a firm understanding of situations, remained vigilant, and adopted synchronous, drastic policies and solutions to strengthen national defence, security potential and create a peaceful, stable environment for successful completion of goals set out by the National Party Congress. Clearly, the national defence, security potential is ceaselessly consolidated and intensified. The armed forces become more potent and possesses high combat power. The all-people national defence and defensive zones are established and increasingly strengthened. The all-people national defence posture and the people’s security posture are closely linked to leverage comprehensive power for protecting and preserving area security. Defence, security diplomacy is reformed and greatly enhanced, making a vital contribution to mobilisation of resources for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

Nevertheless, the comprehension and realisation of the Party’s resolutions and State’s law on national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland have not always been serious and effective somewhere. Situation awareness and strategic forecast sometimes have not yet been proactive and timely. The combination of economy, culture, society, and national defence and security has not yet been very effective. Foreign relations and international integration have yet to keep pace with development of situations. Security in some areas and scopes has not been really robust, especially cybersecurity.

Currently, the world and region are witnessing complex developments. Hostile forces step up sabotaging the cause of constructing and defending the Fatherland by many increasingly subtle, cunning methods and ploys. This requires the Party, State, political system, and entire people to grasp and implement synchronous, effective solutions to strengthen national defence and security power aimed at successfully realising the viewpoint on preserving the country from afar, most notably the following key measures.

First, it is necessary to improve the quality of Party building and protection and building the rule of law socialist State. This is the most important matter because leadership of the Party and management of the State are the deciding factors in the success of the revolutionary cause of the Party and people. Therefore, the building and protection of the Party, building a strong rule-of-law socialist State, and enhanced leadership of national defence, security, and safeguarding of the Fatherland require commissions, ministries, and branches from the central to local levels to educate cadres and party members to deeply grasp the ideals of national independence and socialism and promote their political steadfastness and theoretical competence. They are to be consistent with matters of principle of the Party; develop the corps of leadership, management cadres at all echelons, especially those at the strategic level and leading cadres, who have political steadfastness, fine dignity, and a high level of competence, dare to think, dare to say, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, dare to undertake innovation, dare to confront difficulties, dare to act for common benefit, have high prestige, and are true examples and catalysts for solidarity. Levels and branches must also comply with regulations on power control in cadre work, combat acts of bribery and corruption in pursuit of positions and power, and seriously punish cadres and party members with violations through forms of party discipline, organisational discipline, and law. It is necessary to struggle and prevent localism, factionalism, and group interests to maintain unity within the Party; struggle and defeat hostile forces’ plot and acts of “peaceful evolution” to defend ideological foundation of the Party and reject false, hostile viewpoints. Levels and branches have to clearly identify responsibility of leaders of party committees and organisations for implementation of national defence and security missions; promote leadership efficiency and effectiveness in party organisations in the armed forces; enhance capacity to set out guidelines, institutionalise and execute policies and resolutions on national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland from the central to grassroots levels; step up inspection and supervision in the fields of national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland in order to timely address limitations and shortcomings; attach importance to protection of the Platform, Party Regulation, principles of organisation and operations of the Party, the Constitution, law, cadres, and party members.

Moreover, there is a need to continue to build and perfect the rule of law socialist State of the people, by the people, and for the people under the leadership of the Party; establish and improve laws on national defence, security, and protection of the Fatherland; promote the efficiency and effectiveness of state management of national defence and security; further clarify the role, position, function, mission, and authority of state bodies in the construction and strengthening of national defence and security; build a strong system of authorities; increase the efficiency and effectiveness of management and administration of local national defence and security work as stipulated by the Constitution and law.

Second, socio-economic development is to be closely combined with strengthening national defence and security and addressing social affairs well. To safeguard the Fatherland from afar requires close combination of socio-economic develpment and strengthening of national defence and security in develpment projects and plans for each economic area and sector, most notably in the key economic areas, strategic areas, and important economic sectors. Priorities are given to development of foundational industrial sectors to lay the basis for developing the defence and security industries; some branches and sectors manufacturing duel-use products and critical goods. It is important to enhance the effectiveness of socio-economic development in connection with strengthening national defence and security in the border areas, waters, islands in accordance with designated goals and missions; prioritise establishment of ecocomic – defence zones in waters and islands; invest in building some facilities essential for people’s production and life, zones of population concentration in the border areas, areas inhabited by ethnic minority groups, coastal areas, and on islands. There must be policies to attract investment from all economic sectors to the building of economic-defence zones. Foreign direct investment continues to be attacted but are subject to close appraisal, especially in strategic fiels and areas. Proactive measures are taken to prevent nagative influence from outside and activities that exploit economic, financial, tourist, and investment cooperation to do harm to national security. There is a need to well carry out policies on social security, families eligible for priorities, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and narrowing the gap between rich and poor between regions and social strata.

Third, it is necessary to strengthen the all-people national defence and people’s security and build strong people’s armed forces with high combat power. Building strong all-people national defence and people’s security provides a firm foundation for national contruction and defence. It is also a key issue to bolster national power to safeguard the Fatherland from afar. Therefore, levels, branches, and localities should concentrate efforts on fulfilling this task through building potential, force, and posture. Attention is paid to development of strong political, economic, scientific and technological, military, security, diplomatic potential to serve the cause of constructing and safeguarding the Fatherland in peacetime and to be ready to be mobilised in wartime. Additionally, the all-people force participating in protecting the Fatherland is to be built in accordance with the socialist-oriented market economy and forms of socio-economic organisations and conditions in each area and region. It is important to make the People’s Army and People’s Public Security revolutionary, regular, elite, modern, robust in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and cadre, and capable of satisfying demands and missions of defending the Fatherland in any situations. In the short run, effort should be put into building an “adept, compact, strong” People’s Army, capable of playing the core role in building the all-people national defence, safeguarding the Fatherland, and being prepared for defeating any foreign aggressors. It is also necessary to build an extensive and robust Reserve with high political quality and proper structure in accordance with their military expertise. The Reserve is well managed and trained to readily supplement the permanent force when needed. The Militia and Self-Defence Force continues to be organised in an extensive, robust manner; trained and drilled practically and effectively in their own areas, contributing to firm maintenance of political security, social order and safety at the grassroots level. Additionally, attention should be paid to building of a strong “people’s heart and mind posture” to leverage national power to safeguard the Fatherland; estabilishment of robust military region defence posture, strong provincial, municipal defence zones, and the all-people national defence posture in connection with the people’s security posture in each area and nationwide.

Fourth, international relations and cooperation in defence and security are to be carried out synchronously and comprehensively to create a favourable environment for building and safeguarding the Fatherland. This is both a pivotal mission and effective measure to firmly protect the Fatherland from afar by peaceful means. Consequently, levels, branches, localities, and forces, especially the People’s Army and Public Security, must diversify content and modes of international relations and cooperation to ensure alignment with political, economic, diplomatic ties. They are to strengthen and expand reliable cooperation with partners, most notably the strategic partners, neighbouring countries, and traditional friends. Priorities are given to deepen political, defence, security relations with neighbouring countries; build the borders on land and at sea into borders of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development. It is important to supplement and improve policies and legal documents regarding diplomacy; promote the effectiveness of cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Public Security, commissions, ministries, and branches at the central and local levels in recommending the Party and State to put forth directions, strategies, and measures to handle partnerships, ensuring that one partnership does not obstruct another. Special importance is attached to recommendation of resolving problems concerning seas, islands, borders, and protection of the territorial sovereignty of the Fatherland.   

To grasp and effectively realise the viewpoint of protecting the Fatherland from afar will make a direct contribution to generation of position, force, and comprehensive power of the country to prevent, push back, and neutralise risks, successfully respond to defence, security contingencies, and firmly safeguard the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.

Lieutenant General, Doctor DAO TUAN ANH, Deputy Rector of the National Defence Academy