II. Contributing to perfecting the orientation for protecting the Socialist Fatherland of Vietnam

1. Issues to be considered

During 30 years of implementing the 1991 Creed, especially 10 years of implementing the 2011 Creed, our country has harvested great achievements in several fields. The world, regional, and domestic situations, however, have posed critical issues for the deployment and continuous improvement of the orientation for protecting the Fatherland in the coming time.

Firstly, the orientation for protecting the Fatherland has been prescribed clearly and accurately in the Creed and the documents and resolutions of the Party, but the most difficult thing in the implementation is to resolve and handle real situations in practice. Based on the common situation, a number of scenarios can be predicted as follows: (1). "Peaceful evolution", political riots, and "color revolution" evolve into armed riots, military intervention, and subversion; (2). Infringement of national sovereignty and interests, and invasion of sea, islands, airspace, and border areas by non-armed or armed measures at different levels; (3). Information war and cyber war; (4). Non-traditional security scenarios; or (5). Large-scale invasion wars, etc. As such scenarios may occur relatively independently or concurrently, it is necessary to have specific solutions when performing the tasks of national defense, security, and protection of the Fatherland.

Secondly, how to accomplish the task of Fatherland protection while having to well implement the socio-economic development tasks. At present, the construction of a full and synchronous socialist-oriented market economy and proactive and positive international integration in an increasingly deep manner are setting new issues and requirements. The adjustment of our country's law to make it compatible with international laws and practices, the implementation of commitments in the new free trade agreements, and the attraction of foreign investments, etc. all have direct and indirect impact on national defense, security, social order, and safety. Consequently, the simultaneous implementation and close combination of the two strategic tasks of building and protecting the Fatherland, particularly economic development and protection of the Fatherland are facing difficulties and complexities that require proper attention and timely settlement.

Thirdly, dealing with high-tech warfare is becoming a major issue. Since the wars in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Syria, hi-tech weapons have become increasingly popular. In the coming time, in the event of a war around the world, hi-tech weapons will definitely be used. Moreover, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought about new technologies applied to military purposes, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biochemical technology, etc., tailing all new kinds of weapons with extremely harmful and unpredictable functions and uses. The emergence and participation of new military forces will bring about changes on the battlefield, such as: Unlimited battlefield, no differentiation between the rear and front line, longer war time, and larger consumption of weapons and supplies, and heavier losses. While there are mechanisms to control nuclear weapons, there is no solution to control new technology weapons that cause corresponding consequences. New-style and hi-tech warfare also increase disparities in military power between developed countries and developing ones.

Finally, the protection of sovereignty over seas and islands is increasingly complicated. Sea and islands are sacred territories which have a particularly important position in the cause of national construction, development, and defense. The territory of Vietnam includes the mainland, airspace, sea, continental shelf, islands, and archipelago reefs under its sovereignty, sovereignty rights, and jurisdiction. The East Sea is a strategically important region for national defense, security, and economy - one of the world's life-line and busiest maritime routes, which is rich in natural and aquatic resources and abundant tourism potentials. Due to such a special position, the East Sea is becoming the target of attention of many large countries with different political and economic ambitions. They have been seeking ways to intervene deeply in such strategic region, making the inherently complex situation here become more complicated and unpredictable, and the possibility of conflict may not be excluded. The security of the sea and island sovereignty over the East Sea, therefore, is threatened, and that poses a very pressing issue for national defense and security tasks.

2. Some issues contributing to improving the orientation for protecting the Fatherland

Firstly, strengthen the leadership of the Party and resolutely and persistently implement the Party's new guidelines, views, and thinking on protecting the Fatherland, consider it as a guideline for completing the orientation for protecting the Fatherland in the new situation. This is the most important issue which is crucial to the success or failure of the implementation of orientation for the Fatherland protection. The process of implementing the Creed, on the basis of properly assessing the situation of the world, the region, and the country, with the strategic vision and scientific, sharp thinking, our Party has set out proper and creative ways to build and protect the Fatherland, suitable to the actual conditions of the country. Consequently, it has created a great synergy on the basis of bringing into full play the strength of the great national unity, combining domestic strength with international strength, promoting internal resources with external forces, and proactively combating against all conspiracy and anti-destructive actions of hostile forces to firmly protect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, maintain a peaceful environment and ensuring security, social order, and safety for national construction and defense. Practice has proved that adhering to the Party’s line is the premise for the successful accomplishment of the national defense and security tasks, while the unfinished ones are attributed by the inadequate implementation of the orientation for Fatherland protection set by the Party.

Secondly, supplement some aspects to the guidelines for Fatherland protection. The guidelines for implementation of national defense, security, and Fatherland protection is a very important issue - a basis for determining proper objectives, methods, and ways to protect the national inviolability, protect the supreme interests of the nation - the people, and ensure political security, social order, and safety. The key contents that need to be added include: grasping the situation and solving problems in a uniform manner; correctly forecasting the situation of the world, region, country, and specific areas; identifying defense and security challenges and situations; and setting the cause of actions accurately, promptly, and flexibly to effectively deal with all situations, not to be surprised and passive. The optimal goal of implementing the task of Fatherland protection is to prevent, repel, and smash the risks of conflict and instability and be ready to respond and successfully handle all situations.

Thirdly, along with ensuring political stability, promoting economic, cultural, and social development, and strengthening national defense, security, and foreign relations, it is necessary to strengthen ideological work throughout the Party and society. Thoroughly conduct propaganda, education, and improvement of awareness for the whole people about the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws on national defense and security tasks; clearly identify and expose the conspiracy and anti-destructive tricks and activities of hostile forces; enhance defense and security knowledge for officials and soldiers of the armed forces and the entire population; select contents and diversify forms of propaganda, education, and dissemination of  policies and laws that are appropriate to each object and locality; and be proactive in ideological struggle to defeat the conspiracy and anti-destructive tricks of hostile forces and activities of taking advantage of the issue of religion, ethnicity, and human rights to sabotage and entice people to participate. At the same time, it is required to promote economic, cultural, and social development, considering the task of economic development as the center, the construction of the Party as the key, culture as the spiritual foundation of society, and strengthening of national defense and security as the essential regular task. The combination of sustainable, creative, and overwhelming socio-economic development with the construction of the all-people defense and revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually modern People's Army and Public Security forces should be reasonably and harmoniously settled.

Fourthly, supplement the orientation for combat methods to protect the Fatherland and be ready to promptly respond to high-tech war and new-style war. Attention should be paid to regularly monitoring, researching, and firmly grasping the development of the forms of high-tech war and new-style war; researching and synchronously solving strategic issues in terms of the point of view, principles, methods and content, and forms of combat. On that basis, it is necessary to focus on building forces, equipment and weapons; building and developing defense and security industry straight to modernity and applying high technology; and researching and producing domestic modern equipment and weapons to respond effectively with the newly emerging situations.

In the new condition, it is also necessary to affirm that the development of the people's war is still an effective way to deal with high-tech war and new-style war. Besides, modern equipment and weapons are important and indispensable, but the essential and core issue is still the highly motivated and intellectual human factor. It is, therefore, necessary to foster, train, and build a contingent of armed forces officers and soldiers with political stance and capability to grasp and master modern science, technology, weapons, and equipment. Importance should be attached to modernizing and intellectualizing the human resources of the armed forces and developing Vietnamese military arts in new conditions on the basis of acquiring and applying scientific and technological achievements and having effective solutions to prevent high-tech war and new-style war.

Fifthly, have clearer definition of partners and rivals. This must strictly adhere to the principles, leadership of the Party, and the Constitution and laws of the State; serve the supreme interests of the nation - the people; and improve vigilance and ensure national secrets. Then, it is essential not only to objectively and comprehensively determine the external objects in each situation and point out the danger of the internal objects to raise awareness, understand the situation, and timely detect the conspiracy and actions of the objects but also cooperate and fight against, take advance of consensus, limit the opposition, avoid being isolated, and promptly prevent and break all coalitions that ignite aggression wars. Additionally, it is necessary to continue to stick to the "three-no" policy, more friends - less enemies; harmonize relations with major countries, establish and strengthen relations with all countries, especially strategic partners for deep international integration, increasing the mutual benefits with many countries, and creating international support and assistance; and prevent risks and successfully cope with all forms of aggression wars. At the same time, promote in-depth cooperation with a number of comprehensive strategic partners, build and implement particularly important commitments related to national defense.

Finally, supplement the orientation for protecting sea and island sovereignty. First of all, it is necessary to agree on the principle that the task of protecting the sea and island sovereignty must be put under absolute and direct leadership of the Party, directly the Politburo and the Secretariat, the centralized and unified management of the State, the participation of the entire people, in which the armed forces play a pivotal role. In order to protect the sea and island sovereignty of the Fatherland, it is necessary to promote propaganda, education, awareness, and responsibility and create high consensus and agreement on ideology and action of the entire Party, armed forces, people, and political system in protecting the Fatherland’s sea and island sovereignty. Build the Navy, Air Defense - Air Forces, Coast Guard, and Fisheries Surveillance toward lean, regular, elite, and modern direction; and improve the overall quality and combat strength to ensure the core role in firmly protecting the airspace, sea, and islands of the Fatherland. Moreover, other work should be performed, including: building the solid all-people defense posture and security posture on the sea; establishing marine militia force; consolidating and building strong defensive areas on islands and mainland; strengthening education and fostering of revolutionary morality, defense and security knowledge, foreign languages, technical qualifications, combat tactics, professional qualifications, and ability to research, grasp, and forecast early, closely, and properly the situations to actively advise and timely and effectively handle situations for armed forces officers and soldiers; and promoting international cooperation to improve the effectiveness of defense and security external affairs, etc.

Fatherland protection is the strategic task of the whole Party, people, and armed forces. Facing the new situational developments, it is necessary to continue to research and perfect the contents of Fatherland protection for the Party and State to set out the right guidelines and policies to well implement this particularly important strategic task. .

Prof., Vu Van Hien PhD., Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council

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* - See National Defense Journal, July 2019.