Being fully aware of the importance of defensive zones to the Homeland construction and protection, over the years, the Provincial Military Party Committee (PMPC) and the Provincial Military Command (PMC) have advised the province on many strategies and measures to build strong defensive zones. It should be noted that types of potential within defensive zones have been gradually strengthened. The quality of the armed forces has been unceasingly raised. The defensive zone posture and the all-people national defence posture have been increasingly consolidated, while political security and social order and safety have been maintained as the basis for the province’s socio-economic development.

To obtain those good results, first of all, Tuyen Quang has focused on raising the awareness and responsibility of all-level cadres, sectors, politico-social organisations, and all citizens for the building of defensive zones. Doing so has enabled the province to promote the synergy and achieve a consensus about the building of defensive zones. Grounded on resolutions, directives, and decrees by the Party and the Government on building defensive zones, the PMPC and the PMC have proactively advised the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council, and the Provincial People’s Committee on directing all-level authorities and sectors to provide defence and security education for all groups of learners, thus rendering all people, particularly cadres and party members fully aware of the importance and necessity of building solid defensive zones in the new situation. In this regard, emphasis has been placed on the 10th Politburo’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22nd, 2008 on continuing to build provinces and municipalities into strong defensive zones in the new situation, the Government’s Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated February 22nd, 2019 on defensive zones, the Military Region 2’s documents and directives on building defensive zones, and especially the Provincial Party Committee’s Action Programme for the Resolution 28-NQ/TW.

Combat readiness training

In the process, all-level military offices have given advice to local party committees and authorities on renewing the contents, forms, and methods of defence and security education in accordance with each locality’s particularities and the people’s educational background and customs, especially in the key areas. Significance has been attached to stepping up mass mobilisation under the viewpoints on “relying on the people” and “taking the people as the root,” promoting the “posture of people’s hearts and minds” in the building and operation of defensive zones, and consolidating political bases, particularly in the remote, isolated areas of the districts of Na Hang, Chiem Hoa, and Lam Binh. The province’s press and media agencies have organised special pages and columns on national defence and security, while releasing thousands of articles, reports, and pieces of news about the building and operation of defensive zones. Doing so has allowed the province to raise the awareness and responsibility of its cadres, party members, and citizens in the building and operation of defensive zones.

The province has closely combined socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation. It can’t be denied that Tuyen Quang is a mountainous province, the people’s life is in difficulty, and its infrastructure is still limited. However, it has always attached great value to combining socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation and including such a combination in resolutions, action programmes, and plans. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee have determined to boost agriculture and forestry production via value chains, with a focus on developing high-value, high-quality key products and specialities of high value and quality, building the regional trademark, and constructing new-style countryside. Due attention has been paid to attracting investments for industrial development, particularly supporting industry, light industry, processing industry, construction material manufacturing, textile industry, and leather and footwear industry in the industrial zones and clusters of Long Binh An, Son Nam, Khuon Phuon, and An Thinh. The province has also attracted investments to develop services, ecotourism, the National Special Relic Site of Tan Trao, and the National Special Tourist Sit of Na Hang - Lam Binh. The PMC has cooperated with the province’s Public Security Force, departments, committees, and sectors in closely appraising socio-economic development plans/projects, particularly on traffic system, health, post and telecommunications as the basis for the approval of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee in a dual-purpose direction to facilitate economic development and serve the defence-security task. Up to now, in spite of profound impacts by the COVID-19 pandemic, the province’s targets of socio-economic development have been all reached. Roads for cars have been constructed in all communes, wards, and townships. The Highway of Tuyen Quang - Phu Tho has been built and connected with the Highway of Hanoi - Lao Cai, while other routes connecting the city of Tuyen Quang with adjacent highways and the transport system in Lo river have been upgraded to enhance socio-economic development and serve the manoeuvre of forces and vehicles for operational missions within defensive zones.

Due regard has been paid to making the armed forces comprehensively strong with a high level of synergy and combat readiness and capable of playing a core role in building defensive zones. The PMPC and the PMC have focused on building a “revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern” standing force, a “strong, extensive” militia and self-defence force, and a “powerful” reserve force. Meanwhile, military offices and units have concentrated on making themselves politically strong as the core force for the people’s national construction and protection. Emphasis has been placed on building politically, ideologically, organisationally, and morally typically strong, pure party organisations and comprehensively strong units. Up to now, more than 95% of grass-roots level party organisations have been rated as pure and strong, while 97% of party members have successfully or excellently fulfilled their assigned task.

To improve the quality of training and combat readiness, the PMC has directed the armed forces to actively renew the contents, programmes, and methods of training and make all necessary preparations, particularly the training ground and shooting range so as to meet the requirements set by a reform in the training work. In the training process, offices and units have always adhered to the training motto of “basics, practicality, thorough grasp” designed for the standing force, provided “basic, practical, qualitative” training for the militia and self-defence force, and organised “basic, practical, effective” training courses for the reserve force. Great value has been attached to renewing and making the contents and methods of defensive exercises relevant to each area’s characteristics, combat mission, and capability. Via such exercises, the mechanism for mobilising local resources in the defence-security task and the regulations on the operation of defensive zones have been adjusted and completed, while all-level party committees and authorities’ leadership and management as well as local armed forces’ command and coordination with departments, sectors, and committees in the settlement of defence-security situations have been improved to ensure that the building and operation of defensive zones would be increasingly practical and effective.

The provincial armed forces have always promoted their core role in combat readiness and natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control as well as search and rescue. They have regularly conducted patrols to protect offices, units, and important targets. They have closely collaborated with other forces in grasping the situation to proactively advise local party committees and authorities on opportunely, effectively handling complex issues, thereby avoiding passivity, ensuring political security, and maintaining social order and safety.

The province has built an inter-connected, solid, in-depth military posture within defensive zones. Based on the Project on “the building and operation the provincial defensive zone of Tuyen Quang in the period of 2017-2020 and beyond,” the Project on “civil defence” in the period of 2021-2025, the Project on “upgrading caves and constructing military-defence works” in the period of 2020-2025, and the Military Region 2’s plan on the defensive posture, the PMC has worked with departments, sectors, committees, and localities to advise the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee on enhancing state management of national defence and upgrading works within provincial and district-level defensive zones. In the crucial defensive directions, emphasis has been placed on reviewing the plan on constructing key defensive areas, combat bases, and rear bases in accordance with the defence-security task and socio-economic development master plans. The PMC has carried out surveys to properly use and closely manage heights, caves, and terrains of tactical value to the defence task, while due regard has been paid to developing infrastructures to connect with combat and rear bases. In recent years, many works and parts of the province’s defensive zone military posture have been completed to bring into play the tactical features of weapons and equipment as well as the capability and strengths of components and forces during operations, thereby firmly protecting the province in any situations.

Promoting those good results and experience, in the upcoming time, Tuyen Quang will keep consolidating its defensive zones as the basis for the province’s comprehensive, sustainable development.  

Sr. Col. DANG VAN LONG, Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Board, Commander of the PMC