Hoa Binh is a transitional area between Hanoi and the Northwestern provinces, which has great military value in terms of offense and defense, and is favorable for the building and operating of defense zones. Therefore, Hoa Binh is identified as one of the important defensive directions and the strategic rear bases of the Northern battlefield. However, this is an area where security, politics, social order, and safety are complicated with different types of crimes, especially drug-related crimes. Muong ethnic people make up the majority (63.4%) of the province’s population, while their educational level is not equal and their economic life is still difficult. Meanwhile, the province has to constantly face natural disasters, epidemics, fierce resistance of hostile force, evil customs, superstitions ... that has posed difficulties and challenges for national defense and security in general, and building defense zones in particular.

Deeply grasping the Party's national defense and military viewpoints and guidelines, especially the policy of building provinces and cities directly under the Central Government into solid defense zones, Hoa Binh province armed forces have brought into full play the core role in advising and organizing the building of provincial defense zones with relatively equal, solid, and comprehensive results in all aspects. Awareness of cadres, Party members, and people for building defense zones has changed and progressed. Potentials have been built quite strongly, ready to be mobilized for the implementation of tasks and situations of national defense, security, and wars. National defense and security education and economy-defense combination have been paid with much attention. In particular, the armed forces have been built to be strong in all aspects, while the military posture has been regularly strengthened, that contribute to building an all-people defense posture in association with the people's security posture in the area, maintaining political security, social order, and safety, defeating the strategy of “Peaceful evolution” and plot of violent subversion of hostile forces, and creating favorable environments and conditions for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development.

Commanders of Hoa Binh Provincial Command inspect the building of unified headquaters

These results have rooted from the Provincial Military Command’s good performance of the function of advising the local Party committees and authorities in leading and directing the task of building defense zones. Thoroughly grasping and implementing the Central resolutions and directives, the 3^rd Military Region’s guidance on building defense zones, and understanding the functions, tasks, and characteristics of the locality, the Provincial Military Command has closely coordinated with the concerned departments and branches in advising the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Committee on promulgating legal documents to develop and maintain the operation of the defense zones, consolidation and improvement of  the quality of the grassroots political system, socio-economic development, and national defense and security assurance. Particularly, importance has been attached to advising to consolidate the staffing, improve the performance of the Defense Zone Construction Steering Committees, the Supply Councils, the Defense and Security Education Council, the Military Duty Councils at all levels, ... and build the mechanism for leadership, management, command, and administration and regulations on coordination, inspection, and supervision of the organization of the building and operation of defense zones.

Along with advisory work, the Provincial armed forces have also promoted its key role in building potentials for strong defense zones to meet the requirements and tasks of national defense. Every year, following the assigned functions and tasks, military agencies at all levels have brought into play their core role in advising the local Party committees and authorities to reform and improve the leadership, direction, management, and administration of the task of building defense zones; focused on training and retraining military personnel resources for the localities; actively participated in building strong political bases to promote the people's mastery; well performed the work of mass mobilization and ethnical and religious policies to promote the strength of the great block of national solidarity; and participated in building a healthy cultural and security environment to contribute to consolidating the “the people’s heart-and-mind posture” and strengthen the close relationship between the Party and people, etc. As a result, the majority of people in the province has absolute confidence in the leadership of the Party committees and the management of the authorities and love for the country and the regime, and actively develops the family economy, build villages and hamlets, and contribute to building the rich and beautiful homeland.

In building economic potentials, the Provincial armed forces have attached importance to advising and coordinating in well performing the socio-economic development planning in association with ensuring national defense and security. Economic development schemes and projects have been assessed, examined, and closely monitored so as not to affect national defense and security tasks and, at the same time, create resources for national defense and security tasks, ready to mobilize upon wars. The economy- defense combination has been paid more attention with tightness and efficiency. Science and technologies have been invested for development, practically serving the tasks of socio-economic development, national defense, and security. Moreover, new rural area construction, poverty reduction, and gratitude policy have been paid with attention  along with developing social and economic infrastructure and increasingly changing urban and rural appearance have created conditions to promote economic development. In recent years, the average economic growth rate of the province has reached 9.2%/year. This is an important prerequisite to mobilize resources for national defense and security tasks and situations in peacetime and to be ready to serve the war.

Focusing on building the streamlined, compact, and strong armed forces that operate efficiently and effectively in association with implementing the policy of adjusting the staffing has been highly valued by the Provincial Military Command, especially building politically, ideologically, ethically, and organizationally strong standing agencies and units with integrated quality and, high combat readiness level and capacity, and willing to receive and completed all assigned tasks. A “powerful” mobilization reserve force has been built with sufficient quantity, proper quality assurance, and appropriate composition structure, ready to be mobilized for the standing forces when necessary. During the past 5 years, the province has trained 69 intermediate-level grassroots military officials and sent 44 military officials from communes, wards, and townships to courses at military colleges and universities.

In addition, the Provincial armed forces have also actively innovated and improved the quality of training and drills, especially the provincial and district-level defense zone drills which have operated under the mechanism of the Party’s leadership and the authorities’ management, administration, and agencies, departments, and branches, especially the military agencies’ core role in advising, organizing, and implementing. Through the drills, the capacity of leading, directing, and administering forces in the defense zones of ​​the local Party committees and authorities has raised, and the ability to shift the localities from peacetime to wartime, national defense mobilization to serve the war, department and branch assurance, and the combat  cooperation and coordination between the armed forces and related parties have been assured, that serves as the basis for adjustment of defensive combat plans and determination. At the same time, it also helps to build plans, organize exercises and drills and improve the ability to prevent natural disasters, epidemics, explosions, and forest fires and search and rescue,... contribute to timely and effective handling situations in the area.

Military posture is the core content of the defense zones. Therefore, over the past years, the Provincial armed forces have both advised and directly built towards being basic, systematic, and uninterrupted with focus, depth, and gradual steadiness to bring into full play the technical features of the weapons and equipment and capabilities, qualifications, and forte of forces in combat, close to the area. Starting from the advantage of mountainous terrain, the Provincial armed forces have closely combined the new construction with renovation and upgrading of natural caves and terrain into essential military and defense works, of which, focusing on building and improving a number of combat bases, rear bases, mobile road systems, tunnels, logistical and technical bases and sub-bases, etc. During the construction process, military agencies at all levels have strictly followed the process, from survey, planning, project formulation, appraisal, and approval to implementation, supervision, inspection, and acceptance each work item to put into use; in which, special attention have been paid to ensuring the requirement of associating the defense work construction planning with socio-economic development and implementation of the overall goals of the local Party committees and authorities.

These are some solutions that Hoa Binh Province armed forces have been implementing to build and improve the operational effectiveness of the defense zones to contribute to defeating the sabotage conspiracies and tactics of hostile forces, firmly protecting the area, and creating favorable conditions for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development.

Senior Colonel VO THANH NAM

Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff of the Provincial Military Command