Fully aware of the importance of the militia and self-defense forces, over the past years, Bac Lieu Provincial Military Command and its Party Committee have actively given advice to party committees and authorities at all levels on building the militia and self-defense forces with proper structure and high quality, meeting the requirements of local military-defense tasks.

Alongside socioeconomic development to improve the people’s life, over the past years, Bac Lieu province has paid due regard to carrying out military-defense work with a focus on building strong, extensive militia and self-defense forces as the basis for maintaining political security and social order. With a sense of responsibility, the province has always focused its leadership and direction on introducing and seriously implementing the Law on the militia and self-defense forces via proper measures in accordance with its particularities. The work of managing the militia and self-defense forces has been conducted closely, effectively. The militia and self-defense forces have been consolidated with sufficient quantity and high quality while promoting their core role in military-defense tasks, natural disaster prevention and mitigation, search and rescue, thereby contributing to making potential and posture of the defensive area increasingly strong.

Martial arts training

To engage the whole political system in this work, the Provincial Military Command (PMC) and its Party Committee have counselled local party committees and authorities to promote the role of organs, sectors, organizations and the entire people to create the combined strength in the building of the militia and self-defense forces. Grounded on the Directive 16-CT/TW by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat (9th tenure), the Central Military Commission‘s Guidance 01-HD/ĐUQSTW, the Military Region 9’s Party Committee’s Resolution 281-NQ/ĐU on “strengthening the Party’s leadership over the militia and self-defense forces and the reserve forces in the new situation”, the PMC and its Party Executive Committee have advised the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee on issuing resolutions and directives and formulating the Project to build the militia and self-defense forces. At the same time, the PMC has organized training courses to introduce this task to provincial-level cadres and directed its affiliates to introduce to others. During the course of implementation, it has directed district-level military organs to include the building and operation of the militia and self-defense forces in the programs/plans for coordination with committees, sectors, and sociopolitical organizations. The Political Office under the PMC and district-level Committees for Propaganda and Education have identified the building and organization of the militia and self-defense forces as an element of the program for coordination. Authorities at all levels have focused on enhancing the work of propagation via various forms: training courses to introduce the task, defense and security education courses, military training courses, operations of the Fatherland Fronts and sociopolitical organizations, and competitions, dialogues, exchanges and mass media. As a result, awareness and action by cadres, public servants, the armed forces and the people in the province towards the building of the militia and self-defense forces have positively changed.

Live-firing test

To improve the quality and effectiveness of building the militia and self-defense forces, the PMC has directed military offices at all levels to focus on registration and management of the militia and self-defense forces. To do so, military offices at all levels have concentrated on building the core militia and self-defense forces, particularly the mobile, active, arm militia and self-defense forces, the self-defense forces in offices, organizations, enterprises and the coastal militia and self-defense forces. On a yearly basis, the PMC has counselled the province to promulgate normative legal documents and instruct localities to complete the structure of the militia and self-defense forces. Military organs at all levels have closely cooperated with committees, sectors and organizations in managing citizens at the age of militia and self-defense service to develop plan for registration and selection. During the process of registration and selection, functional organs at all levels have taken step seriously. Up to now, the province has built 202 militia and self-defense bases while 100% of its commune-level bases have established military party cells. The province has founded 56 military commands under offices, committees and enterprises. The percentage of members of the militia and self-defense forces has accounted for 25% of their total of cadres and public servants. Moreover, the province has directed all districts and communes to build 1 mobile militia platoon including 1 female militia section; to establish 1 on-spot militia section in each hamlet or 2 in heavily populated, coastal hamlets. As for coastal militia and self-defense forces, the PMC has directed Bac Lieu city’s Military Command and the Military Commands of Hoa Binh and Dong Hai districts to build a section including 4 to 6 ships and cooperate with the Naval Region 2 in building and supplementing forces for coastal communes. Besides, importance has been attached to cultivating cadres in charge of managing the militia and self-defense forces by dispatching them for further education. Since 2010, the PMC has counselled the Provincial People’s Committee to launch 3 college-level training courses for 196 commune-level cadres and send 58 commune-level Military Command cadres to study at military colleges and universities. As a result, 100%  of commune-level military commands have filled all positions according to regulations of the Law on the Militia and Self-Defense Forces while promoting their role in giving advice to local party committees and authorities on leading, directing and operating local military-defense work.

On a yearly basis, the PMC and its Party Committee have directed its affiliates to develop plans for and improve the quality of training the militia and self-defense forces. Military organs at all levels have formulated plans for training in a comprehensive, focalized manner in accordance with each force’s requirements, structure, equipment and task, the area’s reality and local budget. Before each training season, the PMC has organized training courses for managerial cadres and commanders of militia and self-defense units. During the process of training, units have followed the principle of “basics, practicality, quality”, and closely combined combat training with political, legal and traditional education. Due regard has been paid to training cadres and troops to master skills and tactics of the militia and self-defense forces as well as on-spot combat projects, and to improve the capability to cooperate with Public Security forces in patrol and control and settlement of the situations in the area. Moreover, the militia and self-defense forces have been trained on natural disaster prevention and control as well as the work of mass mobilization. Military offices at all levels have actively advised local party committees and authorities on holding security maintenance, search and rescue exercises and taking part in defensive zone exercises. As for the coastal militia forces, focuses of training have been on raising awareness of local military and defense tasks, hostile plots and artifices, maritime security situation, marine legal documents, live firing, fire prevention and control, use of communications in the sea, positioning systems, etc. Training courses regularly take place between two fishing seasons to ensure the fullest strength. After training courses, the province has organized competitions and live-firing tests for all objects, thereby considerably improving the quality of training. Since 2011, in the province, 24 communes have hold defensive zone, natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue exercises.

In addition, due attention has been paid to ensuring policies and entitlements for the militia and self-defense forces. Grounded on the Law on the Militia and Self-Defense Forces and the Project on organization, training, operation, entitlements and policies regarding the forces, the PMC has cooperated with the province’s Departments of Finance and Home Affairs in counselling the Provincial People’s Council and People’s Committee to issue resolutions and guidance on implementing several entitlements and policies for the militia and self-defense forces in accordance with the province’s budget. At the same time, it has made budget forecast, received, managed and effectively used the allocated budget; sufficiently provided responsibility allowances for militia and self-defense cadre. Annually, authorities at all levels have deducted money from their budget to ensure the operation of the militia and self-defense forces while encouraging the people and sociopolitical organizations to support members of the militia and self-defense forces materially and mentally, thereby creating favourable conditions for them to fulfil the assigned tasks.

Adopting those measures actively, synchronously, Bac Lieu province has obtained good results in the building and operation of the militia and self-defense forces, greatly contributing to consolidating potential and posture of defense and security, making the all-people’s national defense in the area strong.

Sr. Col. Tran Van Tai, Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee

Commander of the Provincial Military Command