Together with party committees, authorities, locals and other forces in the area, over the past years, armed forces of Son La province have performed their core role in building increasingly strong defensive zone of the province, thereby contributing to strengthening national defence and protecting the Homeland from afar.

The PMC approving the operational determination of the defensive zone exercise 2018

Son La is a mountainous, border province holding a position of importance to national defence, security and diplomacy in North Western Vietnam. Over the past years, in spite of efforts, Son La has still been a poor province with slow socio-economic development and living standard of its people. The province’s area is frequently affected by flash floods and landslides while its political-security situation is possibly confronted with risks of destabilization. Most notably, hostile forces’ penetration and incitement to divide the great national unity, illegal religious activities, free migration and immigration as well as crimes of all types, particularly drug-related crimes and social evils, have complex developments. Those have imposed demanding requirements for the provincial armed forces on performing military-defence tasks and building defensive zone. Perceiving the Party’s line on building defensive zone, the provincial armed forces have focused on counselling party committees and authorities at all levels to lead and direct the building of solid defensive zones at provincial and district levels. Grounded on the Party’s military and defence line, particularly the 10^th Politburo’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW, the Directive 07-CT/TW by the 11^th Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, and the Government’s Decree 02/2016/NĐ-CP, the Provincial Military Command (PMC) has cooperated with departments and sectors in advising the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, and People’s Committee on issuing resolutions, directives, and plans/programs to enhance the effectiveness of leadership and direction over the local defence-military work and the building of defensive zone. From counselling of the PMC, the province has formulated and implemented the Action Program 19-CTr/TU on building defensive zones in the new situation, the Action Plan to implement the Party’s Central Resolution 8 (11^th tenure), and a series of plans/programs on national defence and security. Due regard has been paid to leading, directing and carrying out the task of building defensive zone on a close, comprehensive basis with the participation of the entire political system and forces. Mechanisms and regulations on the building and operation of defensive zone have been increasingly complete. Up to now, the province has completed the master plan for defence disposition in associated with socio-economic development until 2020, the plan for the military posture of provincial and district-level defensive zones; established and maintained the order for the operation of organizations in the defensive zones at all levels, particularly the Steering Board for building defensive zone, the Defensive Zone Supply Council.

Building political, economic, military potential, readily transforming it into capability to meet the requirements of defence-security missions represent a core point of the building of defensive zone. Fully aware of that, the provincial armed forces have actively counselled local party committees and authorities to enhance the building of potential and posture of defensive zone, particularly in the key, border areas. To do so, the PMC and military commands at all levels have given advice to and cooperated with departments and sectors in stepping up the work of propagation and education of defence and security knowledge for objects and people, especially key cadres in the political system, students, ethnic minorities, people in the key areas of national defence and security as well as those in remote, isolated, border areas. At the same time, the provincial armed forces have well performed their function as “an army for work”, actively conducted the mass mobilization work, took part in building political bases, assisted the people in hunger alleviation, poverty reduction, and natural disaster prevention and mitigation. As a result, awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members and people towards Homeland protection and the building of “people’s hearts and minds posture” have been raised while a favourable condition for making the all-people national defence and defensive zone increasingly strong in the area has been created.

Besides, the provincial armed forces have counselled all-level party committees and authorities to combine socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation and diplomacy under the Party’s guidelines. In this regard, importance has been attached to developing the province’s potential economic sectors, investing in infrastructure, and creating material resources to build defensive zone. The PMC has made reviews and advised the province on adjusting the master plan for defence disposition associated with socio-economic development until 2020, while appraising socio-economic development planning and projects in the area, especially those in key areas of defence and security. Over the past time, many dual-use projects and constructions have been built by the province. It is noteworthy that the PMC has advised the province on consolidating and building road traffic system, adjusting residential disposition in border area, resettlement area of Son La hydropower station reservoir, and flash flood and landslide-inflicted areas, thereby restricting free migration and immigration, stabilizing political security, strengthening the all-people national defence posture in the key areas. In addition, the provincial armed forces have promoted their core role in counselling and building the defensive zone posture as planned. Up to now, the province has developed and completed the plan on the military posture in provincial and district-level defensive zones, while actively mobilizing resources to gradually build it. In spite of economic difficulties, over the past years, Son La has spent tens of billions VND on building the military posture in defensive zones and achieved positive results. The province has formulated a detailed plan for combat bases, rear bases, key defensive areas, and built significant defensive works, such as the headquarters, system of observation posts, air defence battlefields, thereby step by step forming an inter-connected posture of all levels, being prepared for defence-security situations.

Building strong armed forces represents an important element of the building of defensive zone. Thus, the PMC has attached significance to counselling local party committees and authorities to build strong three-category armed forces politically, ideologically, and organizationally with a high level of synergy and combat readiness. Over the past time, the province has adopted synchronous measures to build revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern active forces, powerful reserve forces, and strong, widespread militia and self-defence forces in accordance with each area. To meet the mission requirements in the new situation, the PMC has advised the province on developing and implementing projects on building the militia and self-defence forces and the people’s military intelligence forces; on renewing the work of military conscription and combining military conscription with the work of creating reservist resources at grass-roots level. That has directly contributed to enhancing the military strength and potential of the provincial defensive zone.

The provincial reserve forces during the defensive zone exercise 2018

In addition to the building of defensive zone, great importance has been attached to intensifying its operation via various forms, measures and participating forces with the provincial armed forces playing the core role. To meet the requirements, the PMC has proactively made reviews and developed plans for defence mobilization in accord with the province’s economy; directed and instructed districts, cities, departments and sectors to build the plan on defence support in the first year of a war and include it in exercises to test, supplement and complete. Units of the provincial armed forces have strictly maintained the order for combat readiness, proactively built, completed and practised the combat determination and operational project of defensive zone as well as the plans for natural disaster response and mitigation, and search and rescue. At the same time, they have closely cooperated with the Public Security and the Border Guard according to the Government’s Decree 77/2010/NĐ-CP and the Regulations on Coordination between the province’s Military, Public Security and Border Guard. In this regard, significance has been attached to studying, grasping and anticipating the situation, particularly in the key, border areas to advise all-level party committees and authorities on strategies to deal with properly; to developing and readily implementing the projects for uprising, disturbance, terrorism prevention and control, the projects for protecting hydropower plants and central targets; to conducting patrol and operations to fight crimes of all types in the border areas. It should be noted that in order to supplement and complete mechanisms and regulations of the operation of defensive zone, to enhance the leadership and direction capability of all-level party committees and authorities as well as the forces’ capability to deal with defence-security situations, the PMC has counselled the province to hold defensive zone exercises in an “effective, practical, safe, economical” manner.  More specifically, the province directed the organization of district-level defensive zone exercises associated with departments and sectors’ operational support activities. In 2018, the province successfully held the provincial-level defensive zone exercise which was highly appreciated by the Military Region 2. Besides, the provincial armed forces have synchronously taken measures for carrying out the work of defence diplomacy and strengthening friendship relationships with units and localities of Northern Laos, thereby contributing to building a border of peace, friendship, cooperation for development and creating advantages for the provincial defensive zone.

The recorded results and experience will be an important precondition for the armed forces of Son La province to continue bringing into play their core role in building increasingly strong defensive zone, successfully fulfilling military-defence tasks in the area, meeting the requirements for Homeland protection in the new situation.

Sr. Col. Tran Xuan Cuong, Standing Member of the Provincial Party Committee

Commander of the PMC