Combining socio-economic development with strengthened defence and security in general, in strategic areas in particular, is mentioned in documents of the 12^th National Party Congress. Understanding and realizing this point of view is of significant importance in the current situation.

Troops of Economic-Defence Corps 327 helping people of Hoanh Mo commune, Binh Lieu district (Quang Ninh province) build traffic road (photo: nhandan.com.vn)

Drawing on guiding standpoints at previous congresses, especially resolutions of the 8^th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (Tenure IX and XI) on strategy to safeguard the Fatherland in the new situation, the 12^th National Party Congress continues to be committed to “closely combining economy, culture and society with defence and security, and vice versa in each socio-economic development strategy and plan, giving priority to remote, border, and coastal areas, and completely overcoming shortcomings and weaknesses in combining economy with defence and security in areas, particularly in the strategic ones.” This represents our Party’s fundamental position, which deeply reflects a matter of principle regarding the dialectical relationship in the execution of two strategic tasks: national construction and defence. In fact, combining socio-economic development with strengthened defence and security in the strategic areas has achieved practical results and become a prerequisite for mobilizing every resource, potential, advantage, etc., to foster rapid, sustainable development in each region, area, and the whole country.

Actually, the aforementioned viewpoint is not completely new as it was referred to at the previous congresses. Its reiteration at the 12^th National Party Congress is attributed to situation and high demands of national defence in the new context, as well as the necessity of combining socio-economic development with defence and security, especially in the strategic areas. Nevertheless, it does not mean there is nothing new in this standpoint. Conversely, the most prominent feature is to reflect our Party’s consistent position, sensibility, and creativity in terms of combining socio-economic development with consolidating defence and security against the backdrop of new developments in the world, region and our country. Another new point, expressed right in the connotation of this position, is that our Party puts it in a more general, more holistic, and deeper manner, and clearly identifies it as an essential, continual combination in our military and people’s cause of national defence. Consequently, the connotation of this position can be interpreted as the entire combination of natural, historic, social, political, and economic elements with defence and security relating to stability in each region and area, including the strategic ones. That also demonstrates rapid, complex, and unforeseeable evolutions of the situation, and the intertwining of subjective, objective, internal, and external factors, which have potential influence on national defence in the new situation. In addition, it proves our Party’s sensible thought, strategic vision, and creative application in order to create one of the most basic driving forces for building an increasingly modernized, firm all-people national defence and people’s security. Moreover, the Party’s viewpoint serves to direct levels, branches, fields, and localities to perform well this combination, creating synthesized strengths to firmly defend every region, area and the whole country.

Over the past few years, particularly in the process of comprehensively reforming the country, the combination of socio-economic development with defence and security has drawn great attention of the Party and State. Thus, most of the strategic areas have envisioned sociopolitical stability, relatively high economic growth, improved living standards, and consolidated defence and security, making vital contributions to national development. However, these areas still face more difficulties and limitations than other regions and areas nationwide. Grassroots-level political systems in several areas have not been firmly developed. The economy is growing at a slow rate. Some specific aspects of defence and security have not met the requirements. There remain unresolved pressing problems relating to land policies, hunger and poverty, religion, belief, social policies, and so forth. Meanwhile, these areas have had many risks that potentially lead to instability; and are targets of hostile forces in the country and abroad. Consequently, closely combining socio-economic development with strengthened defence and security in general and in strategic areas in particular must be continued to grasp and implement seriously, and focused on several pieces of major content as follows:

1. Combining socio-economic development with strengthened defence and security must be consistent with characteristics and conditions of each strategic area. In essence, the combination of socio-economic development with defence and security is normally recognized as the core so as to enable national defence. Nevertheless, due to unique features of strategic areas, extremely sensitive in defence and security terms, this combination must be conducted in a flexible manner. In some cases, top priority must be given to strengthening defence and security. Thus, combining socio-economic development with defence and security in strategic areas can be only effective if it is in line with characteristics and conditions in each area, especially those in the remote, border, and coastal areas. Accordingly, as for combination in these areas, it is necessary to base on defence and security requirements to work out appropriate socio-economic development strategies and plans aimed to strengthen defence and security without neglecting socio-economic objectives. The coordination of industries and professions must ensure a high level of dual use to contribute to hunger eradication and poverty alleviation while enhancing resources, building forces and defence and security postures, and developing defence industry in the strategic areas. In addition, on combining defence and security with socio-economic development in the strategic areas, there is a need to develop resources in support of national defence, first and foremost political potential and material facilities, which will be ready to mobilize for defence and security tasks; while creating favorable conditions for broadening international cooperation on economic development and defence industry in each area. This combination will create necessary conditions for building and developing defence forces – forces of the all-people defence – by means of economic strategies and plans to readjust and rearrange population, especially in areas of low population density. It is necessary to develop economic-defence zones in both breadth and depth in areas of extreme difficulty to not only create jobs for citizens but also to promote the development of infrastructure, defence facilities, elements of defence zones, etc., in order to frame a firm defence-security posture.

2. Combining socio-economic development with strengthened defence and security should aim to achieve urgent, practical goals and overarching objectives of strategic, fundamental, and enduring significance in the strategic areas. Strategic areas are places of special significance in political, economic, defence, security, and diplomatic terms. However, there remain a number of risks that potentially result in instability in the country. Consequently, aligning socio-economic development with strengthening defence and security in the strategic areas needs to focus on concrete objectives, including proper settlement of evolving problems and persistent shortcomings and weaknesses, creating conditions for sustainable development in these areas. To do so, it is necessary to combine socio-economic development with defence and security consolidation to step up the establishment of political systems, particularly those at grassroots level, and enhance leadership and management capabilities of party executive committees and authorities at all levels, especially the capability to concretize and bring the Party and State’s guidelines and policies to people. There is a need to bring into play the role of sociopolitical organizations and mass organizations in the fight against corruption, wrongdoing, and cadres and party members’ lack of democracy and manifestation of distancing themselves from people. At the same time, priority should be given to reassuring people in order to establish “people’s hearts and minds posture,” and boost confidence and consensus among people about party executive committees and authorities at all levels. Levels, branches, forces, and localities have to concentrate on resolving contradictions among people, especially differences in economic benefit and inextricable problems in the strategic areas. Moreover, they also have to proactively participate in ameliorating culture and religion on the basis of respecting freedom of religion and belief under the Constitutional and legal framework of Vietnam while resolutely removing religions, which deliberately violate people’s freedom of religion and belief, are contrary to fine customs, and act against standpoints of the Party and State. Through socio-economic development in strategic areas, it is necessary to raise people’s awareness of our Party and State’s accurate guidelines and good policies, laying the foundation for actively struggling against reactionary, distorted allegations and making contributions to defeating the hostile forces’ strategy of “peaceful evolution,” “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the Party. In addition, combining socio-economic development with defence and security should aim to achieve general objectives of strategic, fundamental, and enduring significance for strategic areas, satisfying the increasingly high demands of national construction and defence.

3. Perfecting mechanisms for interregional connectivity to enhance the effectiveness of combining socio-economic development with strengthened defence and security in strategic areas. Strategic areas are unique territories, which consist of many provinces, but have no common administrative organizational structures. This reality has made it difficult for coordination of activities between localities in the strategic areas. Therefore, to generate unified and joint strength for the whole region, it is necessary to set out appropriate mechanisms to connect provinces’ operations within a unified perfect whole of strategic areas. In recent years, besides common mechanisms for leadership, command, control, and counseling, our Party and State have established steering committees in the strategic areas. Accordingly, the common mechanisms for interregional connectivity in the strategic areas can be defined as the Party’s leadership and the State’s management over steering committees in the strategic areas; the provincial party executive committees, provincial/municipal people’s committees, military and public security services, etc., to advise and execute according to their functions and missions, ensuring an effective combination of socio-economic development and defence and security in each locality and the whole area.

Under this framework, our Party and State have to lead and manage strictly the aforementioned viewpoint on combination. There should be priorities and policies suitable to unique features of the strategic areas, or even special resolutions on promoting socio-economic development and strengthening defence and security in these important areas. The steering committees, in the strategic areas, need to improve their situational awareness and advising capability for the Party and State within the framework of a strategic area while taking the initiative in the development of mechanisms for coordination of operations between provinces in those areas, bringing about unity of effort in the strategic areas. The provincial party executive committees, people’s committees, offices, commissions, branches of localities in the strategic areas should take the initiative in giving advice and making recommendation on major issues relating to aligning socio-economic development with strengthening defence and security. Furthermore, it is necessary to attach importance to coordination between forces of ministries and industries deployed in the strategic areas, especially those in the economic and defence and security realms, making significant contributions to successfully fulfilling the two strategic tasks: national construction and defence in the new era.

Lieutenant General, Associate Professor Tran Thai Binh, PhD