In response to complicated developments in contemporary security situation, especially aviation security, stepping up defence and security work in a bid to protect transport safety as well as aviation infrastructure and equipment is a matter of importance and urgency in the Vietnam Airlines Corporation’s (VAC) innovation process.

Formerly established as a state-owned company, Vietnam Airlines was transformed into a joint stock one (a parent company under control of a corporate group) under direct authority of the Ministry of Transport. The key task of the Corporation primarily involves the business of passenger transportation, air cargo and direct support activities for air transportation, such as: topographical photographing flying, geological survey, flight calibration of air navigation. In particular, the Corporation is also assigned the task of flying specialized aircraft, participating in search and rescue activities, medical emergency, and flying for the tasks of politics, economics, defence and security. At the same time, it also takes part in production, maintenance, repair and trading of aviation facilities and infrastructure, thereby not only contributing to the state budget, improving the living standards of its personnel, but  increasing its competitiveness and promoting the image of the country, people and trademarks of Vietnam Airlines.

In the face of burdensome responsibilities, the VAC not only makes every effort to successfully accomplish set tasks, but also does continued research and accumulates experience in an effort to meet enterprise equitization targets, combat terrorist threats, cyber attacks, and airspace disputes, etc. Doing business in a number of operational areas, both domestically and internationally, confronting complicated conditions of climatic patterns and diverse types of topography (land, sea, island, desert) and fierce aviation competition have been posing numerous challenges and difficulties to the VAP. Against this backdrop, the VAC’s Party Committee and the Board of Directors have focused on, first and foremost, closely observing the leadership of the Central Business Bloc’s Party Committee and the Transport Ministry’s direct directions and governance; simultaneously, while carrying out a series of breakthrough business operations in a bid to bring the VAC’s development to a new height, satisfying the expectations of the Ministry of Transport, the Government and the people. In addition, the VAC’s Party Committee and the Board of Directors have attached great importance to leading and directing defence and security work, bringing into full play providing absolute safety for the VAC itself, its affiliates as well as aviation facilities and security, thereby creating enabling conditions for its efficient business activities under the motto “every step taken to develop aviation transport services, production and business is in tandem with enhanced defence power and capabilities”. To this end, the VAC, together with its Military Command, has proactively overcome all the difficulties and taken a wide range of synchronous practical measures in a creative, determined and cautious manner.

Second, tremendous importance has been attached to the advisory work on issuing directive documents for the task implementation.  In the capacity as an advisory unit, while directly directing and guiding the annual defence task implementation, the Military Command closely sticks to the VAC’s missions, thoroughly grasps superior authorities’ resolutions, instructions on defence work in ministries, agencies, localities with a focus on the Central Business Bloc’s leadership resolution and the Transport Ministry’s instruction on defence work in a bid to counsel the VAC’s Party Committee to opportunely promulgate resolutions, instructions, and directive documents for the task implementation; notably Directive No. 38/CT-TCTHK, dated 08-01-2016 on “military and defence work in 2016”; Plan No. 08/KH- TCTHK-BCHQS, dated 03-02-2016 on “military and security education in 2016”; Plan No. 15/KH-TCTHK, dated 02-02-2017 on “military and defence mission implementation 2017”. Grounded in those above-mentioned documents, the VAC’s Military Command has concretized and oriented its analogues and affiliates to conduct the mission. To achieve the optimal effectiveness, the Military Command has directly instructed its affiliates to adhere strictly to a set of procedures, ranging from making plans, carrying out, supervising and inspecting missions to preliminary and overall assessing, reviewing, learning from experience, and opportunely rewarding individuals, collective groups with outstanding military and defence task performance. As the matter of fact, the VAC’s activities primarily involve aviation business, its cadres in charge of military work face numerous difficulties since most of them wear two hats. Against this backdrop, the Military Command proactively has advised the VAC’s leaders on making effective personnel planning and training in an attempt to tap their cadres’ full capabilities of conducting set missions, thereby streamlining its organization, stringently maintaining combat readiness and relevant reporting regulations to the higher authorities. Simultaneously, the Military Command has also cooperated closely with the local military agencies, the VPA’s Department of Operations, and Air Force and Air Defence Arms on making plans for aviation transport safety and security, contributing to the strong all-people defence posture associated with people’s security posture.

Third, speeding up education of military and defence knowledge. Regarding it as a matter of paramount importance, the VAC’s leaders have placed great emphasis on comprehending the superior authorities’ instructions and documents and putting them into practice. To this end, the VAC has instructed its affiliates to take its military commands and cadres as the core in disseminating and educating military knowledge to its personnel in line with Decree No. 12-CT/TW of the Politburo on “enhancing the Party’s leadership over military and defence work in the new situation”; Regulation No. 07-QĐ/BTCTW of the Central Organizing Commission on military and defence knowledge criteria for all subjects”; Defence and Security Education Law, and other relevant documents, thereby making them fully aware of the military and security tasks as well as their benefits and sense of obligations to protect airspace and aviation security in the new situation. The VAC’s military agencies at all levels have renewed and diversified forms of the implementation according to the direction: “relevant to the unit’s unique feature, practical, effective, firm”. Due to a dearth of teaching staff and military training facilities, while providing on-site military training, the VAC also sends its military cadres to military academies or schools for training in an effort to enhance its personnel’s military and security knowledge, meeting the requirements for building and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. Annually, the Military Command proactively collaborates with the VPA’s competent authorities and the local military agencies to offer training courses, and sends its cadres to take training courses run by the superior authorities. From 2010 to June, 2017, there have had more than 500 cadres who took the training courses run by the VAC and the superior authorities respectively. They have played a core role in directing and fulfilling successfully all the VAC’s assigned tasks.

Stepping up the civil defence force buildup. The VAC’s heads have taken this force as the core in ensuring its safety and security on the basis that it lays a solid foundation for efficient aviation service activities. Accordingly, the VAC has concentrated on making its civil defence force sufficient in strength, powerful in organization, and elite in military skills. Abiding by the directions given by the Civil Defence Force Department, the Ministry of Transport, the VAC has cooperated closely with the local military agencies to properly streamline its military affiliates’ organizational system at all levels, leading to the establishment of dozens of military commands and civil defence platoons. In order to enhance the political quality for those groups, the VAC, on the one hand, has attached great importance to stepping up political and ideological education work, vigilance, and sense of responsibility to protect its affiliates and aviation facilities; on the other hand, it has actively provided military training to improve specialized military levels with a focus on skills to handle complex security incidents that occur in aviation transport activities. The military training is carried out procedurally in accordance with the superiors’ training rules. In addition, the VAC has cooperated with district-level military and security agencies in successfully holding natural disaster, search and rescue, and fire and explosion prevention drills. The registration and management of the reserve force as well as the qualitative classification of aviation material are strictly monitored and placed on standby for defence and security missions. Thanks to tireless efforts, countless individuals and collectives with outstanding record of achievements have been lauded and rewarded by the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Defence Department.

With this innovative method, after 3 years of its equitization, Vietnam Airlines Corporation has made remarkable strides to become one of the leading national enterprises which have met the criteria: strong aviation service transportation, production, business; firm defence and security; stable political environment and organization. In fact, the VAC has established its brand name as the "4-star" class airline with a vision to the "5-star" standard and is firmly on the path of its innovation, contributing considerably to the cause of national construction and defence.

BUI DINH NGHIEM, Member of the Party Standing Committee, Head of the VAC’s Military Command