Thoroughly grasping the Party’s viewpoint on “Homeland protection” stipulated in the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress, being full aware of the specific characteristics of operations of the Air Defence - Air force, and the hostile forces’ acts of drastic sabotage aiming at a “depoliticized” Army, the Party Committee and the Command of the Service have clarified that building cadres and troops’ firm political stand and strong will is the vital factor in building a politically strong Service and successfully fulfil all assigned tasks.

Major General Lam Quang Dai delivering speech at the Conference on implementing Directive 05-CT/TW and Directive 87-CT/QUTW (October 2016)

To realize that guideline, the Party Committee and the Command of the Service have directed units to step up political and ideological education and dissemination, with a focus on Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought. The work of political education mainly aims to generate political and spiritual motivation, build up strong will for the troops so as to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks, encourage and urge them to be ready to fight and devote for national independence and freedom, socialism, and the people’s happiness, and to dedicate their life to the State, the Party and the people. Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought are the ideological background of the Party, the compass for its every action, the useful “theoretical weapon”, and the basis for Air Defence - Air troops to have strong political stand and noble revolutionary ideal, be steadfast in their combat objective and faith in the victory of the revolutionary cause.

Fully aware of the importance of the party and political work, the Party Committee and the Command of the Service have directed units to actively innovate and enhance the quality and efficiency of this work. The Party Committee asked the whole Service to seriously implement the Directive 124-CT/QUTW of the Central Military Commission Standing Committee, the Project of “Innovating the work of political education in the new period”, the 12th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW , the Directive 87-CT/QUTW of the Central Military Commission Standing Committee on “Acceleration of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle”, and accelerate the implementation of the “Determined to Win” Emulation Movement, particularly the Campaign of “Promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving Uncle Ho’s Soldiers - elite Air Defence-Air Soldiers” to make  changes in this work’s quality.

Following Uncle Ho’s instruction: “cadre is the root of all work”, “success or failure of all work depends on the cadre”, the Party Committee of the Service has focused on building a cadre staff having virtues and capacity meeting  requirements set by the tasks. The Service has attached great importance to building its system of “regular, exemplary” training schools, meeting the demands of training cadres for the Service and the Armed Forces. In this regard, it focuses on educating and training its cadres at units, while combining different forms of education, such as cooperating with military and civil academies and colleges, sending cadres to study abroad. Thus, up to now, the Service has built a cadre staff with firm political stand, absolute loyalty, proper quantity and proportion, being both “red” and “expert”, ensuring development and inheritance among generations, and being a really core force for combat readiness and airspace control, not to put the Homeland in unforeseen situations.

Knowing the enemy situation is an important basis for commanders to planning. It is also the root of faith, will and determination to fight and win of cadres and troops. Hence, the Command of the Service has directed its organs and units to study and understand the enemy’s plots, tricks and their airborne operations tactics to build up the troops’ sense of revolutionary vigilance, stand, will and determination to fight the enemy. Fully aware of this, the Party Committee and the Command of the Service have directed units to make Air Defence - Air Force clearly identify the opponents, their plots, operational tricks, strengths and weaknesses, particularly the cruelty and fierceness of hi-tech weapons. Moreover, units must grasp their troops’ situation to timely identify troops’ misunderstanding, wrongful ideology and worries, educate cadres and troops’ faith in our fighting tactics, weapons and equipment, and build up firm stand, will, and determination to “fight and win”.

Troops’ political stand, will and determination are manifested not only in their awareness and ideology, but also in their capabilities and task performance. The Party Committee and the Command of the Service have specified that building up political stand must be linked with combat readiness training to improve the level of operational skills and tactics in the new condition. In this regard, the party committee and commanders at levels have closely combined the work of political and ideological education with the daily training task in training fields, in their combat readiness for air control, search and rescue, natural disaster recovery and exercise. Therefore, cadres and troops have opportunities to enhance resilience, to improve their firm political stand and strong will, and their capabilities of being self-controlled, self-confident, proactive, creative, resolute, highly disciplined, honest, courageous in complex and hard conditions, being ready to receive and fulfill all their assigned tasks.

The Party’s leadership is the critical factor, determining the maturity and victory of the Air Defence - Air Force. The Party Committee and the Command of the Service have always attached great importance to the Party building and adhered to the guideline: there should be a close combination between “build” and “combat”. In this regard, the Service has directed its organs and units to cooperate with other forces and localities in order to be proactive in fighting against and foiling the hostile forces’ plots and acts of sabotage, particularly the trick of “depoliticizing” the Armed Forces, to firmly maintain the Party’s ideological foundation within the Service and in the garrison areas. Moreover, the Party Committee and the Command of the Service have directed units to closely work with other forces to combat and thwart the hostile forces’ plots and acts of sabotage through the “Peaceful Evolution” Strategy and the incitement to “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”. In addition, units also focus on the work of political education and ideological orientation in order that troops could clearly indentify the enemy’s wicked plots and tricks, adopt preventive measures effectively to firmly maintain the Party’s leadership within the Service.

Building political stand is to nurture the “root” of cadres and troops so that they can promote all their capabilities and successfully fulfil all assigned tasks. In the complex situation today, particularly the hostile forces’ fierce sabotage and unprecedented developments in the East Sea, party committees and commander at levels in the Service should further focus on education and, training cadres and troops’ political stand to ensure that the Service always successfully fulfil the task of protecting the Homeland airspace.

Major General Lam Quang Dai

Political Commissar of Air Defence - Air Force