Building strong and stable all-people national defence is the top element in the cause of national construction and defence. This is a consistent viewpoint of our Party specified in Vietnam’s National Defence Strategy (NDS).

The Resolution of the 11^th Party Central Committee’s 8^th Plenum on the Strategy to defend the Homeland in the new situation clearly advocated promoting the combined strength of the whole political system, the great national unity block under the Party’s leadership, building strong and stable all-people national defence in a comprehensive, self-reliant, and increasingly modern manner for the purposes of peace and self-defence as well as a solid all-people national defence posture in peace time which would be transformed into the all-people warfare when the country is in the state of war. Grasping that policy, the Resolution of the 12^th National Party Congress and especially the NDS in the new period confirmed that it is vital to continue to build strong, stable, long-lasting all-people national defence to maintain readiness to transform operations from peacetime into wartime in order to safeguard the socialist Homeland. This serves as both consistent viewpoint and target which express our Party’s creative thought on the cause of national defence and Homeland protection in the new situation. At the same time, it fully, correctly translates the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines on all-people national defence and people’s warfare into life.

This is the first time our Party clarifies the method to build the all-people national defence in potential, force and posture terms in the new condition. Our all-people national defence is not only in a comprehensive, increasingly modern, self-defence manner and placed under the Party’s leadership and the State’s uniform management and operation, but it has to ensure the overall and deep unity and be made solid nationwide and in the key areas. Moreover it must be built in accordance with the socialist-oriented market economy, forms of socio-economic organizations and each region and area in order to increase social resources for national defence. It could be said that this is a new development in our Party’s theoretical thought on national defence which both stays close to and inherits realities of the Homeland protection so as to direct practical activities in the upcoming time. Notably, at present, in the world and the region, despite the face that peace, cooperation and development remain the mainstream, there could be rapid, unpredictable developments. The 4^th industrial revolution will profoundly impact on each country’s national defence and security. Major powers have made strategic adjustments, cooperating, compromising and competing with and containing one another, which greatly impacts on the world’s situation. As for our country, in addition to opportunities and advantages gained from over 30 years of national renewal, there have appeared new issues related to defence and security, such as changes in strategic space, opponent, partner and warfare. Meanwhile, hostile forces have been stepping up their acts of sabotage via the “peaceful evolution” strategy and conversion, and enhancing “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” via evil artifices. Therefore, strengthening defence and security, in general, building the all-people national defence according to the viewpoints in the NDS, in particular, represent a matter of importance and urgency, which should be grasped and effectively implemented. It is also the responsibility of the whole Party, Military and people to take various measures synchronously in accordance with the new situation.

First, enhancing the Party’s absolute, direct leadership and the State’s efficiency of management towards the building of all-people national defence. This is a basic, consistent measure and an important prerequisite for successfully carrying out this strategic task. To that end, sectors, forces and socio-economic organizations from Central to local level should grasp the Party’s military and defence guidelines and formulate measures to direct the realization of goals and targets for the building of all-people national defence in each sector and field. During the course of implementation, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the road map while the system of the Party’s resolutions, documents and directives in this area must be thoroughly introduced to and seriously, uniformly implemented by every level, sector and locality. The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence – the core force in the Homeland protection should fulfil their advisory function in order to unceasingly complete the mechanism for the Party’s leadership and the State’s uniform management and operation towards national defence and particularly the building of all-people national defence in accordance with each locality, field and revolutionary phase. Party committees and authorities at all levels must consider this as a central task of routine to provide close, timely, effective leadership and direction in their area and locality. At the same time, it is important to promote the role and responsibility of leaders towards the defence and military work to transform the Party’s guidelines into material strength for building strong all-people national defence in peacetime, avoiding being fallen into passivity.

Besides, it is vital to focus on building types of potential of the all-people national defence in a focalized manner and always regard this a decisive element to creating the synergy to successfully fulfil the task of Homeland building and defending. First and foremost, significance must be attached to building politico-spiritual potential. To do so, it is essential to concentrate on building strong, pure Party and State, improving the effectiveness of political system, and building solid “people hearts and minds posture” as the basis for building other types of potential. Focuses should be also placed on effectively carrying out socio-economic development projects, particularly in remote, isolated, border, sea, island, rural areas; narrowing the gap of living standard between social strata, regions and areas; consolidating the national great unity block; harmoniously combining economic development with social progress and equality to bring the fruits of national renewal to all people. Great value should be attached to stringently implementing the policies on religious freedom and ethnic equality; detecting and opportunely handing internal disagreements to avoid being changed into complex issues by hostile forces. Due regard should be paid to promoting democracy, orientating public opinion, achieving the unity within society towards the national defence task, preserving and promoting national tradition and moral values. Consideration should be given to actively fighting against the degradation in political ideology, morality and lifestyle among a section of cadres and party members as well as wrong viewpoints and “Military depoliticization” by hostile forces.

During the process of developing economic potential, due attention should be paid to developing the national economy both widely and deeply, particularly key, dual-use and hi-tech economic sectors to increase the capability of material accumulation and reserve to foster economic development and serve the defence task when situations occur. At the same time, it is necessary to step up the planning of industrial zones and clusters and areas for animal and special crop husbandry as well as promote the strength of each sector, field and locality to readily transform the national economy into combat task and support when the war occurs. In the long term, it is vital to plan and build strategic rear zones in line with strategic defensive directions; study and operate the mechanism for transforming potential of the economy into strength to serve the defence task, meeting the requirements of Homeland protection and operations in modern warfare.

To build the scientific and technological potential of the all-people national defence, importance should be attached to studying and developing military science and technology and social science and humanity as the basis for science and technology the field of national defence. To do so, it is necessary to step up the building of research establishments and scientists in the defence-related areas, particularly to select and train top experts in each area. At the same time, due attention should be paid to applying scientific and technological advances, particularly those gained from the 4^th industrial revolution to gradually developing technological solutions to repairing, upgrading and manufacturing materiel the military purpose in both long and short terms. At present, it is vital to actively review practice and study theory, especially to develop Vietnam’s military arts in the conditions of modern, hi-tech warfare to readily apply them to our war to defend the Homeland (if it occurred).

The building of military potential – the core element in the national defence potential should be comprehensive, solid and deepened in peacetime and could be quickly, opportunely transformed into defence power in all situations. To that end, focuses should be placed on conducting the work of defence and security education for all people in order to raise their responsibility for the task of Homeland protection in the new situation. In addition to building the armed forces, particularly “revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern” People’s Army, significance should be attached to training and building strong, extensive militia and self-defence forces as the core in performing the defence and military work at grass-roots levels. The reserve forces must be made powerful with the increasingly high quality in each region and area and nationwide, being readily extended when situations take place. At the same time, due regard should be paid to building and extending defence and security forces in offices, committees, sectors, localities and enterprises to meet the demands for national defence in every situation.

Moreover, it is necessary to combine the building of all-people national defence potential with that of strong and stable all-people national defence posture to create the synergy to safeguard the Homeland in all conditions. To that end, it is essential to continue to plan residential regions in accordance with the defence posture in each direction and region and nationwide. Specifically, due attention should be paid to accelerating the construction of economic-defence zones, particularly in remote, isolated, border, sea and island areas to form solid and stable defence posture. It is important to continue to effectively operate the mechanism for leadership and operation under the Resolution 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22^nd 2008, on building provinces and Central-controlled cities into strong defensive zones and the Government’s Decree 02/2016/NĐ-CP, dated January 5^th 2016, on defensive zones, ensuring the proactiveness and self-reliance in settling defence situations in both peacetime and wartime. Besides, it is necessary to opportunely dispose regular forces and local armed forces properly in each strategic direction under specific situations; to combine that work with the construction of defensive system to promote the strength of each unit. Due regard should be paid to building strategic rears, strategic rear bases, logistics and technical bases and works for hiding weapons and equipment in each strategic direction; to ensuring the support for all operations, even independent ones in all situations to safeguard the Homeland in both peacetime and wartime.

Lt. Gen., Assoc Prof., Dr Tran Viet Khoa, Member of the Party Central Committee

Member of the Central Military Commission, Director of the National Defence Academy of Vietnam