Over the past years, under the Party’s leadership, the State’s management, with the effort made by the whole political system, sectors, levels and all people, the cause of building and safeguarding the Homeland has achieved significant accomplishments. One of which is to firmly protect independence, sovereignty, national unification and  territorial integrity, and maintain peace, stability for the country’s development. Notably, “The all-people defence posture in close connection with the people’s security posture continues to be strengthened, particularly in the areas of strategic importance”. Organizing, deploying, disposing forces and strengthening national defence nationwide in accordance with strategic intention have considerably enhanced the country’s defensive potential, and successfully dealt with hostile forces’ plots and acts violating national independence, territorial sovereignty, and benefits. Forces in strategic positions have been disposed and adjusted appropriately . System of defensive facilities has been built in accordance with the plans, with a focus on central strategic areas. The Project “Planning construction of military posture of defence zones  until 2020 and beyond” has been effectively implemented and made contributions to completing the posture of each locality, military region and the country. Provincial (municipal) defence zone areas continues to be built strongly enough to deal with defence and security situations within them.

In the time to come, although peace and cooperation for development are still the dominant trend, there will be complicated and unpredictable changes. Local wars, armed conflicts, disputes over natural resources and territorial sovereignty, ethnic and religious conflicts, interference and conversion tend to rise. Major powers have made changes in their strategy, both competing and restraining one another. The Asia - Pacific region, including Southeast Asia, continues to develop dynamically, but nevertheless it faces challenges from both inside and outside. Dispute over sovereignty and territory in the East Sea is becoming more intense, durable and complicated. Domestically, hostile forces keep stepping up acts of sabotage, “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” to remove the Party’s leadership and socialism in our country. Therefore, to firmly protect the Homeland and maintain peace and stability for the country’s development, it is necessary to unceasingly strengthen defence and security, and build robust all-people defence posture, focusing on the following measures:

First, thoroughly grasping the Party’s view on building the all-people defence posture in the new situation, and raising the entire Party,  people, and military’s awareness of it.

Over the Party Congresses, particularly the 12th one, the Party’s view on building the all-people defence posture has been relentlessly supplemented, developed and completed in line with the country’s practical strength and the task of national protection in the new situation. One of the most notable new point is that the building of all-people defence posture must be comprehensively strong, being really an important factor in the all-people national defence, making contributions to preventing and pushing back wars from afar, firmly defending national independence, sovereignty, territorial unification, integrity, protecting the Party, the State, the people, and the socialism, and maintaining peace, stability for the country to develop. The building of all-people defence posture should be associated with that of people’s security posture in each region, area, and the country. The forces building the posture, who are also the forces of all-people defence posture, are the entire Party, people, and military, with the three-type-soldier  armed forces as the core. Building the all-people defence posture, particularly strong “people’s heart and mind”, will help build up the country’s potential and combined strength to protect the Homeland in any situation. Thus, it could be said that the building of all-people defence posture is an objective, urgent, basic, durable demand of the entire Party, people and military. The most important thing here is that all cadres, party members, and people should thoroughly grasp the Party’s above-mentioned view and raise awareness of the cause of national protection and all-people defence posture building in particular. It should be noticed that being fully aware of this task will help strengthen leadership and direction over the building of all-people defence posture.

Second, promoting the role of the whole political system, levels, sectors, and forces to create synergy  in building strong all-people defence posture in each area and nationwide.

From the Party’s guideline on the all-people defence and war, it could be understood that the all-people defence posture is a combined one built and gradually completed right in peace time to meet the requirements set by defence tasks in peace time, and it is always in readiness to be transformed into all-people war posture when the country is in state of war. In this regard, the key is to promote combined strength of all people and available resources, taking internal resources as the main ones  for posture building. Besides, there should be frequent, close, effective collaboration among from Central to local levels. That collaboration must be manifested at strategic level, in economic, cultural, social development, defence and security, particularly in building defence zone. The reason is that provincial (municipal) defence zones is the foundation for the all-people defence posture, being built comprehensively in politics, economics, culture, society, military, and security. Those defence zones constitute a firm and interconnected layout inside the defence posture of the military regions and the country, meeting the requirements set by defence, security tasks in peace and war time. Thus, localities should continue to thoroughly grasp and seriously implement the Resolution 28-NQ/TW of the Politburo (10th tenure) and the Decree 152/2007/NĐ-CP of the Government on building defence zones. It is vital to build military posture of the defence zones, with a focus on building defence facilities, such as key defence zones, operational base, rear base, supply, technical base, and headquarters at levels.

During the process of building the all-people defence posture, it is necessary to thoroughly grasp the Party’s view on ensuring the combination of  economic development and defence enhancement  and vice versa. This combination must be shown in localities’ master plan, sectors’ development plan, to ensure that economic advances will bring about strengthened defence potential and posture. As the core force, the People’s Army should actively take part in building the all-people defence posture in areas, particularly in border areas and islands, and also focusing on adjusting forces disposition in strategic directions and areas to unceasingly strengthen the country’s defence potential.

It is necessary to attach utmost important to building defence posture in border areas, seas, and islands. It is also important to continue to promote the effectiveness of economic - defence zones run by the military units, making contributions to strengthen defence, security posture in border areas, remote and isolated areas, seas, and islands. There should be encouraged investment in building dual-use facilities serving economic development, people’s life and defence task, particularly in coastal areas, sea ports, and islands.

Third, building strong all-people defence posture associated with people’s security posture, to timely and efficiently handle emergency situations.

Defence and security are the two essential areas that directly relate to and impact on Homeland protection whose core is to defend independence, sovereignty, national unification and  territorial integrity, and protect the Party, the State, the people and socialism. Thus, the building of all-people defence posture must be closely linked with the people’s security posture. There should be a close collaboration between the military and the Public Security in forces building, disposition and tasks performance, making up solid defence, security posture right at grass-roots level, to successfully deal with any situation. Notably, in the current complicated situation, the military and the Public Security as the main instrument of violence to protect the Party, the Sate, the people and the regime should frequently work with each other closely, being the core for all people to fight and thwart hostile forces’ plots and acts of sabotage against our revolution. In border areas, seas and islands, there should also be a close combination between the all-people defence posture and the people’s security posture, constituting synergy to firmly defend national border, seas, and islands.

Fourth, frequently attaching great importance to strengthening “people’s heart and mind posture”, laying solid  foundation for building the all-people national defence and the people’s security.

History of national construction and protection proved that “people’s heart and mind posture” is the firmest stronghold in the cause of national protection. That is a traditional view and thought of the Vietnamese people on defending the country. Learning from that valuable lesson, our Party attaches great importance to building strong “people’s heart and mind posture” with synchronous guidelines, policies, and measures in line with the country’s concrete condition. The Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress held: “Building the “people’s heart and mind posture” to promote the whole nation’s combined strength, taking the People’s Army and the People’s Public Security as the core”. The Resolution also stressed: “Building the “people’s heart and mind posture”, laying strong foundation for building the all-people national defence and the people’s security”. It could be said that our Party’s view on building the “people’s heart and mind posture” is consistent in the Homeland construction and protection.

In the time ahead, we need to thoroughly grasp the Party’s view on building the “people’s heart and mind posture” to lay solid foundation for the all-people national defence and the people’s security. To do this, there should be participation of the whole political system, levels, sectors, forces in which the People’s Army and the People’s Public Security play an important role. First and foremost, it is necessary to improve living conditions of the people, particularly beneficiaries of social warfare, ethnic and religious people in remote, isolated, border areas and islands. Noticeably, when the situation is now becoming more complex, we should strengthen communication to make the people understand the “peaceful evolution” strategy of the hostile forces and proactively fight and foil their plots and acts of sabotage right at grass-roots level.

As the core forces in the “people’s heart and mind” building, the People’s Army should continue to heighten its responsibility, proactively taking part in the task with practical and effective actions. Regular units, local military organs, border guard units should well perform their function as an army for work, bettering mass mobilization according to the Resolution 25-NQ/TW of the 11th Party Central Committee and the Resolution 49-NQ/QUTW of the Central Military Party Committee on “strengthening and innovating the military’s mass mobilization in the new situation”. Accordingly, the military would proactively take part in building local political system, help the people with production, “eradicate hunger, reduce poverty, build new rural area, prevent and manage natural disasters, fight and frustrate hostile forces’ plots and acts of sabotage in areas, particularly strategic ones.

Fifth, enhancing the Party’s leadership over the building of all-people defence posture, meeting the requirements of Homeland protection.

The Party’s leadership is the decisive factor for every victory of the Vietnamese revolution. The cause of national protection in general, the task of building the all-people defence posture in particular are now conducted when the country is deeply and extensively integrating into the world, having advantages and facing difficulties. There is a basic favourable condition that the all-people defence posture has been built for years and increasingly strengthened. The country has regained its economic growth, which will bring about new resources for building the all-people defence posture, maintaining the social-political stability. The people are unanimous in the Party’s view and guideline. Defence and security are strengthened, diplomatic ties are expanded, and the country’s synergy is unceasingly increased. However, we are facing subjective and objective difficulties, and the conflict between high goals and limited potential in the building of all-people defence posture.

Therefore, to build strong all-people defence posture associated with people’s security posture within strong all-people national defence and people’s security, it is vital to enhance the Party’s leadership, the State’s management towards the cause of national defence and all-people defence posture building. That is both the principle and the factor ensuring the expected quality and efficiency of building the posture. It is necessary to ensure the comprehensive leadership of the Party and focus on central points, breakthroughs to make the all-people defence posture increasingly stronger, particularly in the central areas of defence and strategic directions, improve the country’s defensive potential, and successfully handle situations, especially states of emergency relating to defence and war. Besides effective operation of the mechanism of leadership and direction over the building of all-people defence posture from Central to grass roots levels, it is necessary to complete system of legal documents on national defence to form legal basis for successfully performing this important task in the time to come.

General Ngo Xuan Lich

Member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Party Committee

Minister of National Defence