Located in the intersection area of three geographical regions, namely the Northwest, the Red River Delta, and the North Central Coast, with a comprehensive transportation system including roadways, waterways, and railways connecting the North and the South, Ninh Binh serves as a hub facilitating economic and cultural exchanges between the Red River Delta and the Ma River basin and between the North Delta region and the Northwest mountainous region. Besides, this province boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage, being a sacred land of outstanding individuals and the formal capital of three feudal dynasties of Vietnam (Dinh, Early Le, and Ly). Moreover, it converges mountainous terrains and river formations of multi-dimensional significance encompassing politics, economy, national defence, and security. Fully aware of this strategic position, in recent years, based on the thorough grasp of the Party’s resolutions and directives regarding Army development, national defence reinforcement, and Homeland protection, officers and soldiers of the provincial armed forces (PAF) have been united, creative, and proactive in overcoming difficulties to fulfil their tasks excellently. Among these efforts, the construction of a comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” unit as per Directive No. 79/CT-BQP, dated 22 July 2022, of the Minister of National Defence, has yielded significant results, decisively contributing to enhancing the overall strength and combat readiness of the armed forces. The PAF have drawn experiences from the practice and have devised measures that have been and will be implemented in the upcoming period.

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Doan Anh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the VPA checks combat readiness state at the Provincial Military Command

Firstly, importance is attached to building politically strong PAF, which is the decisive factor in building comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” PAF. The Provincial Military Party Committee and Command focus on leading and directing agencies, units, and localities to adhere to the requirements of tasks, actively innovating content and form and enhancing the quality and efficiency of political education as per Directive No. 2423-CT/QUTW, dated 09 November 2023, issued by the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission, thus aiming to build the PAF comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” in terms of politics and ideology. The emphasis in this work is demonstrated through well-organised, serious political study and early, repeated learning tailored to the target audience and the combination of various forms of direct, online, and televised learning provided by local authorities and the Army. The PAF also enhance the effectiveness of political education for the militia and self-defence forces through coordinated activities in propaganda, mass mobilisation, and youth involvement within the local armed forces. It effectively promotes political education via platforms and groups of Military Region 3, the province, and the Provincial Military Command. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of innovative and effective models and practices in the political education of the PAF, such as “One law per week”, political activities during flag-salute ceremonies, the “200-dong house” model, the “Lighting up the dreams of Vietnamese children” programme. Furthermore, the PAF have effectively implemented the Project titled “Enhancing the role of the people’s Army in legal popularisation and education and mobilising people to obey the laws at the grassroots level in the 2021-2027 period” through the theatrical dissemination of laws and the maintenance of activities of “Psychological and legal counselling teams” and “Legal propaganda teams” at grassroots units. Besides, the PAF strictly adhere to the Regulations on managing personnel’s thoughts, thus understanding and directing public opinion, fostering a high unity within the PAF regarding awareness, consciousness, responsibility, and being ready to receive and fulfil all assigned tasks.

In addition, the PAF place great importance on building strong party committees and organisations in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisational structure, and personnel through the successful implementation of the “4-good party cell” and “4-good party grassroots party committee” (fulfilling political tasks, maintaining good qualities of party meetings, fostering unity and discipline, and cultivating good officers and party members). The PAF prioritise annual training in local military and national defence work for officers at all levels, especially those newly assigned to local duties. Agencies and units emphasise the effective implementation of mass mobilisation and policies for military families, which contributes to achieving the goal of Ninh Binh becoming a province meeting the standards of the new-style area by 2024.

Regular innovation and enhancement of training quality, along with strict maintenance of the combat readiness regime, are the focal points that the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command are keenly leading and directing, considering them as direct determinants of the level of combat readiness, especially in handing situations concerning national defence and security. To further enhance the quality of training and exercises, party committees and commanders at all levels attach importance to thoroughly grasping and effectively implementing resolutions, directives, and orders regarding training and combat readiness, particularly Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022, of the Central Military Commission, Resolution No. 396-NQ/ĐU, dated 22 March 2023, of the Party Committee of Military Region 3, Resolution No. 56-NQ/ĐUQS, dated 05 May 2023, of the Provincial Military Party Committee on “Enhancing the quality of training for the 2023-2030 period and beyond”, the annual military and national defence Orders of the Military Region Commander as well as the annual military and national defence Directives issued by the Provincial Party Committee. The Provincial Military Command identifies the necessity for comprehensive breakthroughs in training by improving the quality of officers participating in training. Moreover, it invests in upgrading training grounds and sports fields and organises annual model competitions for training materials while ensuring that the training schedule, programme content, and troop strength adhere to the designated plans.

Leader of the province sees training equipment

Based on the recognition that exercises are the highest and most comprehensive form of assessment for training, in the first half of the 2020-2025 term, the PAF provided outstanding counsel, direction, and organisation to successfully complete approximately 200 exercises at different levels, which were duly acknowledged and highly appreciated by the Military Region, local party committees and authorities, and the people. To promote this achievement, the party committees and commanders of agencies and units have focused on resolutely leading and directing the maintenance of strict discipline and the combat readiness regime. They have thoroughly grasped and rigorously implemented directives from the Ministry of National Defence and Military Region 3 regarding combat readiness. Accordingly, they proactively formulate a comprehensive and compliant system of operational documents aligned with the tasks of the units and localities. Furthermore, they regularly conduct combat readiness exercises to protect agencies, units, and important objectives and strictly maintain the combat readiness regime at all levels, regularly monitoring and inspecting to draw lessons. Additionally, they coordinate with the Provincial Public Security and Border Guard as per Decree No. 03/2019/NĐ-CP, dated 06 September 2019, regarding the task of protecting national security, ensuring social order and safety, combating crime, and carrying out national defence missions, thus contributing to maintaining political security, social order and safety in the province.

In addition to the regular innovation and improvement of training quality, the PAF have actively intensified regularity building and strict adherence to state laws and military discipline. This crucial and overarching aspect forms the foundation for building comprehensively strong PAF. Therefore, the Provincial Military Committee has issued and implemented the thematic Resolution No. 24-NQ/ĐUQS, dated 10 August 2021, on “continuing to enhance the leadership of party committee at all levels towards the observance of military discipline and state laws within the Provincial Party Committee and PAF”, which aims to leverage the pioneering role of officers and party members, especially those in leadership positions, in regularity building and discipline training. To achieve effectiveness, party committees and organisations at all levels have incorporated regularity building and discipline training into leadership resolutions, with specific strategies and measures tailored to the practical situations of each agency and unit. During the implementation process, units rigorously maintain discipline and daily and weekly regimes, ensuring that all personnel conscientiously and voluntarily adhere to regulations and fulfil their assigned tasks and responsibilities. Besides, soldiers can maintain internal unity and solidarity, uphold cultural, disciplinary, and ethical standards, and strictly follow dress codes and salutation protocols. Effective management of military personnel within and outside barracks is conducted to prevent severe disciplinary violations and breaches of state laws and military discipline. The PAF strengthen regular and irregular inspection of the implementation of regulations and regimes, promptly learning from experiences, overcoming weaknesses, and combating signs of laxity in discipline management and training.

To establish a solid foundation for building a comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” unit, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command attach importance to leading and directing the logistics and technical branch to adhere to its tasks, overcome difficulties, and comprehensively and synchronously implement all aspects of work, ensuring timely and sufficient support for regular and ad hoc tasks of the PAF, particularly those related to combat readiness, training, exercises, competitions, and sports events. Moreover, they continue to effectively implement the “Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” and the “Units with excellent troop-feeding and logistics management” movements. Additionally, emphasis is placed on enhancing production and improving the living standards for officers and soldiers. On an annual basis, they coordinate with the Department of Health to oversee health check-ups and screening for HIV and drug use among conscripts, ensuring compliance with conscription plans.

In tandem with ensuring effective logistics work, the Provincial Military Command places great importance on the timely and sufficient provision of weapons and technical equipment in terms of quantity and quality for units tasked with combat readiness, training, disaster response, search and rescue, and other missions. These weapons and technical equipment should only be used for their intended purposes. Besides, proper management, maintenance, repair, and storage of weapons and technical equipment are diligently carried out, ensuring safety in their management and use. The Provincial Military Command directs its agencies and units to effectively implement the “Economical, safe, durable, good management and use of weapons and technical equipment and Traffic safety” Campaign at all levels. Additionally, it regularly enhances the quality of training and professional development for technical personnel to meet the requirements and tasks assigned.

Upholding the tradition of being “United, proactive, creative, resilient, and determined to win” with a high political determination and breakthrough measures (in leadership, direction, and implementation”, the building of comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” PAF has witnessed significant transformations. This serves as the foundation for agencies and units within the PAF to continue striving and contributing to enhancing the overall quality and combat strength of the PAF, thus excellently fulfilling all assigned tasks.

Senior Colonel DINH CONG THANH, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Commander of the Provincial Military Command