Performing military and defence work is a regular and important task of the entire Party, people, army and political system, in order to constantly strengthen national defence and defend the Fatherland in all situations. It is also an important content that Tra Vinh province focuses on leading, directing, and promoting the synergy of the locality during the implementation; in which, the core role of the armed forces is always highly promoted by synchronous and effective solutions, contributing to firmly protecting the locality in the new situation.

Recognising the characteristics of key areas for socio-economic development and national defence and security in the defensive posture of Military Region 9 and the Mekong Delta, the Party Committee and Military Command of Tra Vinh province always proactively advises the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to synchronously implement different solutions to comprehensively accomplish all aspects of work, focusing on national defence and military tasks. As a result, in 2022, the province's economic scale is estimated at 72,076 billion VND; GRDP per capita is estimated at 70.714 million VND; the social development has prospered, the people's material, cultural and spiritual life has been improved markedly; 30 communes of the province have become standardised new rural areas.

However, the situation of rural security in the province is still complicated; hostile forces intensively take advantage of the issues of "democracy, human rights", "ethnicity, religion", etc. to step up anti-social activities; climate change, sea level rise, social evils, environmental pollution, natural disasters, epidemics... tend to increase and significantly affect production, people's life and armed forces’ activities. In that context, in order to contribute to the successful implementation of socio-economic development goals, in the coming time, the Party Committee and Military Command will continue to advise the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee on measures to successfully perform military and national defence work in order to meet the requirements and tasks of national construction and defence.

Firstly, advise on well implementation of state management of national defence. The Party Committee and Military Command continues to advise the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee of the province to well implement the Party's viewpoints and guidelines, the State's laws and policies on local defence and military affairs; strictly and safely implement resolutions, programs and plans to lead and direct national defence and military work and exercises in the defence areas. Advise the Provincial People's Committee to promulgate legal documents, ensuring synchronisation and consistency; closely combine national defence management based on mechanisms, policies and laws along with economic, administrative and educational measures. Besides, the Military Command continues to advise and promote its core role in effectively implementing the dissemination and education of law and discipline and the Scheme on renovating the organisations and operations of legal and judicial departments and the Military Judicial Reform Strategy.

The provincial armed forces attaches importance to conducting exercises

Secondly, build up a stronger defence potential. On the basis of grasping the local situation and conditions and the requirements and tasks of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation, the Military Command continues to advise the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to focus on building stronger local defence potential. With regard to political and spiritual potentials, advises the Province to direct localities to focus on Party building, especially building clean and strong communes, wards and township military cells as well as improving the capacity of the leadership, combat strength and innovation of working methods and styles while carrying out military and defence tasks. The Province should require Party committees and authorities at all levels to regularly propagandise and educate cadres and party members to be deeply aware of two strategic tasks: building and defending the Fatherland. Thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the Resolution of the 4th Party Central Committee (13^th tenure) on strengthening the building and rectification of the Party and the political system; Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW, dated 18 May 2021 of the Politburo (13^th tenure) on continuing to implement Directive No. 05-CT/TW dated 15 May 2016 of the Politburo (12^th tenure) "On promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality and style". In addition, promote the coordination with local departments, agencies, mass organisations in the districts, towns and the city to well implement mass mobilisation and policies; encourage the effective implementation of the campaign "Provincial armed forces participate in building standardised new rural areas", contributing to building a solid "people’s hearts and minds posture".

Regarding economic potentials, the Military Command actively advises the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to lead and direct the effective implementation of multiple socio-economic development programs and projects in combination with national defence and security in all areas, especially in key national defence and security areas; created potential resources for the construction and operations of the provincial defence areas. At the same time, actively participate in promoting economic restructuring in line with the general development orientation of the country, the region’s potentials and local strengths, creating an equitable development with focuses and sustainable development factors. As a result, in recent years, the economic structure of the province has shifted in the right direction, the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors accounted for 31.07%; the industry, construction and service sectors accounted for 68.93%, creating a balanced economy. On the basis of the achieved results, in the coming time, the province will continue to direct Party committees and authorities at all levels to step up the implementation of Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW, dated October 22, 2018 of the Party Central Committee (12^th tenure) on the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045; conduct the rearrangement and adjustment of population in coastal areas according to the socio-economic development plans and the defence and security posture; build up coastal communes and towns into a solid defence line in the general defence of the province. Continue to advise the province to closely direct the departments, branches, unions and localities to perform well in terms of transportation, post and telecommunication, industry, handicraft and medical; promote potentials and strengths, create strong economic potentials in the defensive areas of the province.

Thirdly, nurturing strong armed forces is regularly valued by the Province. Along with building politically strong armed forces, the Military Command advises the Province to continue to adjust the organisations and staffing, improve the quality of combat readiness, training and regularity building. Accordingly, military agencies at all levels focus on consolidating and adjusting standing forces, gradually merging Logistics and Technical agencies. Build militia and self-defence forces based on the Law and the Provincial Project with the focus on improving political quality. Well perform the registration and management of the mobilisation reserve forces; review and supplement the plans to rearrange reserve soldiers into the reserve units in accordance with the Law on the reservists. Along with that, advise the Province to direct agencies and units to continue to supplement and complete documents on combat readiness, civil defence, rescue and to carry out masterful training of methods. Prepare forces and means to participate in dealing with natural disasters, epidemics and rescue, etc. Work closely with forces such as the Police, the Border Guards, ... to grasp the situations in the area, especially during the events, holidays and Tet in order to handle these situations timely and accurately. The Provincial Armed Forces continue to effectively implement the breakthrough stage of the Provincial Military Party Committee on improving the quality of training: doing well the training preparation, conducting the training of standing forces, militia and self-defence forces, reserves; effectively hold contests and sports festivals; promptly review experiences learned during the training. Advise the Provincial Steering Committee to direct drills in defence areas, and drills for prevention and control of floods and storms at district and commune levels according to regulations and ensuring safety.

Fourthly, step up defence and security education. On the basis of closely following the local political tasks, the Provincial Military Command directs military agencies at all levels to actively perform their role as advisors to the Party committees and authorities to lead and direct the work of defence and security education; thoroughly grasp and fully implement the documents of the Party, the State, the higher-level National Defence and Security Education Council and the Province. Focus on advising the province to strengthen the National Defence and Security Education Council at all levels; focus on improving the quality of defence and security training workshops. Along with sending learners of group 1 and group 2 to participate in training workshops on national defence and security held by superiors, the Province proactively make up plans, foster and train rapporteurs, open training courses for journalists, provide defence and security training workshops for all learners of group 3 and group 4. At the same time, improve the quality of training, retraining and training for the contingent of teachers and lecturers in defence and security education; maintain an effective order of defence and security education for pupils, students and learners in public schools, political organisations, and socio-political organisations according to regulations. Along with that, the province directs military agencies, coordinates with central and local press agencies to open specialised pages and columns on defence and security; build up a suitable contingent of rapporteurs, using positive measures to propagate and disseminate knowledge of defence and security to the entire people; contribute to raising awareness and sense of responsibility of each citizen for the task of national construction and defence; successfully perform the local defence and military work in the area.

Senior Colonel TRUONG THANH PHONG, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Commander of the Provincial Military Command