Bac Kan is a mountainous province holding an important position in defence and security to the Military Region 1 and the country. Promoting the heroic tradition of the military and the people of Bac Kan, over the past years, under the leadership and direction of the Party Committee and the Command of the Region, the Party Committee, the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of the Province, sectors and localities have focused on building strong and extensive militia and self-defence force, making contribution to increasing the strength of the armed forces and consolidating the defensive area of the Province.

Being aware that building the militia and self-defence force is the responsibility of party committees, authorities, leaders of organs, and organizations, together with the participation of the whole political system and the people, the Province has strengthened the leadership of party committees and the management of authorities at levels, and promoted the advisory role of military organs, committees, sectors, and organizations in building and training the militia and self-defence force. The Province has thoroughly grasped directives and resolutions of the Party on building the militia and self-defence force, with a focus on the Secretariat’s Conclusion 41/KL-TW on the continuous implementation of the Directive 16-CT/TW on “Strengthening the Party’s leadership over the militia and self-defence force and the reserve in the new situation” and Law on Militia and Self-Defence Force”. The Provincial Military Command has recommended the People’s Committee of the Province to promulgate various normative legal documents to direct and guide localities and units. The Province is now implementing plans to strengthen, build and complete the militia and self-defence force in accordance with the characteristics of each area.

On the basis of the main contents of the Law on Militia and Self-Defence Force, the Province has successfully carried out the work of managing citizens at the age of conscription. In this regard, localities have seriously impelemted the work of appointing and dismissing militia and self-defence commanders, admitting new militia and self-defence troops and retiring commanders and soldiers who have reached the retiring age and finished their service. Notably, localities have associated the task of building militia and self-defence force with the task of consolidating strong political establishment and defensive area. Thus, the political quality and the credibility of the militia and self-defence force have been unceasingly improved. In spite of its mountainous terrain, low population density, economic difficulties, the Province has proactively combined various measures to build extensive militia force and core militia force, giving priorities to building mobile militia force, arm self-defence force, specialized self-defence force, particularly in remote, isolated communes and pivotal areas of defence and security.

The Province has directed localities, organs, and organizations to strengthen and consolidate military organs at levels, especially at communes, wards, and businesses, in line with building in-charge and semi-in-charge militia and self-defence commanders. Over the past 10 years, the Provincial Military Command has directed its military organs at levels to give advice to local party committees and authorities to send cadres of the commune-level military command boards to study at colleges and universities. The  Province has also directed maintaining the training regulation to improve knowledge for this staff, hamlet cadres, and cadres of self-defence units at levels.

Besides, the Province has attached great importance to the work of training the militia and self-defence force, considering it a central task to enhance the synergy and combat readiness level of this force. The work of training the militia and self-defence force has been carried out both comprehensively and centrally, close to the requirements, organizational structure, equipment and tasks of each force. Annually, military organs at levels draw up training plans for 100% of militia and self-defence units, focusing on preparations, such as preparing the training areas and mobilizing the troops for training.

Localities and units have focused on training commanders and troops to master infantry combat skills, combat methods of militia and self-defence force, on-spot combat planning, and strengthen collaboration with the police in patrolling and addressing the contingencies. The militia and self-defence force has also been trained on natural disaster, flood, forest fire prevention and management, and mass mobilization. Military organs have actively given advice to party committees and authorities to conduct exercises on defence, rescue and relief, and deploy the militia and self-defence force to defensive area exercises.

The Province has always paid much attention to ensuring the militia and self-defence force allowance, and actively purchasing uniform and equipment.

Thanks to the leadership and direction of the party committees and authorities at levels, the militia and self-defence force of the Province always fulfills their assigned tasks. In the emulation movement “The Armed Forces of the Province joining hands in building new rural area”, during the period of 2010-2015, the force contributed more than 5,000 personnel with more than 10,000 working days, making contributions to improving material and spiritual life of the people, and maintaining political security and social order and safety of localities.

Bringing into play the recorded outcomes, the Province of Bac Kan will continue building a strong, extensive militia and self-defence force, ensuring that it be a really loyal and credible armed force of the party committee, authority and the people, a core force to perform the military, defence and security task at grass-root level.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Dang Bao

Standing Member of the Provincial Party Committee

Commander of the Provincial Military Command