National defence work within central ministries and sectors encompasses leadership, direction, operation, administration, and execution of national defence tasks under their jurisdiction, including issuing leadership, direction, and instructive documents regarding national defence; leading, directing, managing, operating, and executing national defence activities as well as formulating and implementing plans, schemes, and projects related to national defence as prescribed by the state law. Therefore, it is of paramount importance in the cause of consolidating national defence and protecting the Homeland.

Realising that, in recent years, on the basis of thoroughly grasping the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines on national defence and Homeland protection, departments, ministries, and sectors have systematically implemented tasks and measures and comprehensively completed set targets, contents, and plans by following their functions, tasks, and practical situations, thus contributing to enhancing the strength of the all-people national defence and safeguarding the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Agencies and units within each department, ministry, and sector have proactively overcome difficulties to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state management on national defence. The leadership direction, formulation, and implementation of national defence and laws and timely issuance of directives, resolutions, conclusions, and legal documents have contributed to improving the legal system, creating favourable conditions for socio-economic development and ensuring national defence and security. Central departments, ministries, sectors, agencies, units, and localities have thoroughly grasped and seriously implemented the Politburo’s Directive No. 13-CT/TW, dated 3 May 2007, the Organisation Commission’s Regulation No. 07-QĐ/BTCTW, dated 16 April 2008, the Law on National Defence and Security Education, and other guiding documents to timely issue leadership, direction, and instructive documents for unified implementation nationwide. Accordingly, the potential, posture, and strength of national defence are increasingly consolidated, making a significant contribution to Homeland protection and the creation of a peaceful and stable environment for nation-building and development. Besides, the coordination between central departments, ministries, and sectors and the Ministry of National Defence, which is gradually effective, can promote proactiveness and creativity in national defence work, thus laying a solid foundation for building a robust all-people national defence and safeguarding the Homeland.

Lt. Gen. Nguyen Doan Anh checks defence work at the Vietnam Railway Corporation (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Global and regional security and political situations are forecast to be increasingly complex and unpredictable in the upcoming period. Domestically, despite favourable conditions, there are new difficulties and challenges to face. Therefore, party committees and heads of agencies and units within central departments, ministries, and sectors need to take synchronised and comprehensive measures to enhance the quality of national defence work, contributing to building a robust all-people national defence and strengthening the capability to protect the Homeland “early and from afar”. These measures are listed as follows:

1. Improving officials’ cognitive and organisational capacity in implementing national defence work within central ministries and sectors. Firstly, it is imperative to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the Party’s policies and guidelines and state laws regarding national defence and military affairs, particularly the Resolution of the 8^th Central Committee (13^th tenure) on Strategy for Homeland protection in the new situation and Decree No. 168/2018/NĐ-CP, dated 28 December 2018, issued by the Government on “National defence work within central ministries, sectors, and localities”. It is aimed at helping the cadre of officials clearly define their responsibilities through a deep understanding of the position and significance of national defence work and Homeland protection. Moreover, they should resolutely combat any tendencies to underestimate or disregard national defence and security tasks in relation to socio-economic development tasks or consider the tasks of national defence, security, and Homeland protection as the sole responsibilities of the armed forces.

On the other hand, party committees and leaders at all levels need to intensify policies and measures to lead, direct, and implement national defence work, considering it as one of the key tasks requiring concentrated leadership, direction, and annual assessment in the spirit of “harmoniously combining political tasks with national defence tasks”. Party committees and leaders should adhere to the leadership procedures, from resolution formulation, implementation, inspection, supervision, preliminary review, and summary to lesson drawing. Among these, the focus is on reviewing, summarising, and assessing the achieved results to identify limitations, shortcomings, and causes and draw practical lessons as a basis for proposing leadership and direction policies and measures to enhance the quality and effectiveness of national defence work in the next period. Indeed, the completion of national defence tasks is linked with the responsibilities of party committees and leaders of central departments, ministries, and sectors. Importance is also attached to inspecting, adjusting, and supplementing plans, schemes, and projects in each field to ensure they serve both socio-economic development and national defence and security enhancement. Therefore, regular training on various scenarios should be conducted to timely improve and adapt plans to the practical situation.

2. Leveraging the role of agencies and units under central departments, ministries, and sectors, particularly military commands at all levels, in advising and implementing national defence work. Firstly, military commands should proactively coordinate with the Department of Militia and Self-Defence under the General Staff to implement projects and topics, research, and propose new projects, programmes, plans, objectives, etc. related to national defence work within central departments, ministries, and sectors, aligning with the Party’s and State’s resolutions, conclusions, and strategies for nation-building and Homeland protection, especially those related to socio-economic development and the national defence and security of the country’s six socio-economic regions. In addition, military command should actively advise on the issuance and implementation of documents, directives, plans, instructions, regulations, and provisions regarding the organisation and staffing of military agencies; training, exercises, and the development of self-defence forces; activities, inspection, supervisions, and coordination in national defence work; supplementation and adjustment of national defence and military documents, especially mobilisation plans for resources from departments, ministries and sectors for national defence tasks, thus ensuring readiness for the initial stages of war, stimulating industry, and transitioning the organisation and activities of central departments, ministries, and sectors from peacetime to wartime. Moreover, they should build the defence industry and the all-people national defence while integrating the economy with national defence and other tasks as regulated by law. Importance is attached to innovating and enhancing the operational efficiency of military commands at all levels, seriously reviewing, drawing lessons, and specifying goals, tasks, measures, and deadlines to overcome limitations for military commands with low task completion. This helps improve the quality of national defence within central departments, ministries, and sectors. In the immediate future, there is a need for a coordinated effort in implementing the Plan to organise activities commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the 80^th anniversary of the Establishment of the Vietnam People’s Army, and the 35^th All People’s National Defence Festival.

The General Staff coordinates with central departments, ministries, and sectors to provide strategic advice to the Party and the State on national defence, security, and Homeland protection, prioritising the successful handling of all situations, avoiding passivity and surprises, thus firmly safeguarding the country’s independence, sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity, national interests and creating a peaceful, stable environment for nation-building and development.

3.  Continuing to innovate and improve the quality of education and training in national defence and security within central departments, ministries, and sectors. Military commands at all levels should proactively coordinate with the Department of Militia and Self-Defence and the Ministry of Public Security to thoroughly review different objects, formulate comprehensive plans and targets, and ensure favourable conditions for organising education and training sessions on national defence and security. In addition to sending personnel for training at military academies and colleges, military commands should organise training sessions for individuals according to the provisions of the Law on National Defence and Security Education, Circular No. 24/2014/TT-BQP, dated 15 May 2014, issued by the Ministry of National Defence, and Circular No. 43/2020/TT-BCA, dated 11 May 2020, issued by the Ministry of Public Security. Emphasis should be placed on breakthrough measures to enhance the quality of education and training in national defence and security for personnel in the departments, ministries, and sectors. They should also promote national defence and security education for students and disseminate national defence and security knowledge to the public.

Departments, ministries, and sectors continue the effective implementation of the Prime Minister’s Decision on the Planning of the National Defence and Security Education System for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2045. Besides, they should regularly refine and enhance the operational efficiency of National Defence and Security Education Councils at all levels; organise training sessions to bolster the competence, skills, and teaching methods of the management staff, teachers, and lecturers; and ensure sufficient facilities, equipment, and resources for teaching the subject of national defence and security. Notably, greater emphasis should be placed on participation in learning and fostering national defence and security knowledge, especially for key personnel. This serves as a mandatory criterion for assessing, planning, promoting, and appointing personnel within central departments, ministries, and sectors on an annual basis.

4. Perfecting and effectively implementing policies and laws to enhance the quality of national defence and state management of national defence within central departments, ministries, and sectors. Given the current context, departments, ministries, and sectors need to coordinate with relevant forces, especially the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Justice, to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the State’s policies and laws as well as newly issued legal documents and strategies regarding national defence and security. These include the Resolution of the 8^th Central Committee (13^th tenure) on Strategy for Homeland protection in the new situation; various strategies such as national defence, military, and Homeland protection in cyberspace; the Law on the management and protection of national defence works and military zones; the Law on Civil defence; and decrees and circulars on integrating economy, culture, and society with national defence, security, and foreign affairs.

The regulations to enhance the efficiency of coordination in implementing national defence work among departments, ministries, and sectors and with the Ministry of National Defence should be supplemented and refined. Additionally, departments, ministries, and sectors try to perfect procedures and processes to propose to the National Assembly the Law on National Defence Industry, Security, and Industrial Mobilisation to create a legal framework for the development of the national defence industry and national industrial mobilisation for national defence purposes. Furthermore, it is essential to strengthen national defence inspection activities and improve the ability to concretise national defence, security policies and guidelines and to harmonise policies and laws to the characteristics, functions, tasks, and jurisdiction of each department, ministry, and sector.

Especially, it is crucial to enhance the ability to summarise practical experiences, conduct research, generalise, discover, and predict challenging issues, deficiencies, and obstacles in mechanisms, policies, and laws. Thanks to that, departments, ministries, and sectors can advise the Party, State, National Assembly, and Government to timely supplement, adjust, and issue directives, resolutions, conclusions, and legal documents to refine the legal framework. This involves updating new content, information, and materials to ensure precise, consistent, and interconnected requirements, avoiding loopholes and deficiencies that hostile forces can exploit to distort and sabotage, thus contributing to enhancing the effectiveness of national defence work and state management of national defence within central departments, ministries, and sectors.

Over the past years, national defence work in central ministries, sectors, and localities has significantly contributed to the successful realisation of goals, tasks, and resolutions of Party Congresses regarding the reinforcement of national defence, security, and Homeland protection. However, hostile and reactionary forces have intensified their sabotage against the Party, the State, and the Army, promoting the formation of so-called “civil society”, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” and undermining the national unity bloc, particularly in strategic areas. In the face of the new situation, the tasks of national defence, security, and Homeland protection have placed increasingly higher demands on national defence work within central departments, ministries, and sectors. Therefore, it is paramount to deeply grasp the Party’s viewpoint on “Strengthening national defence and security to firmly safeguard the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” and apply it to the national defence work of central ministries and sectors. In leadership, direction, and implementation, there must be a high political determination, great efforts, resolute and dynamic actions, creativity, positivity, and mobilisation of all resources to firmly protect the Homeland’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial unity and integrity, the Party, the State, the people, the socialist regime, cultural foundation, and national interests.

Lieutenant General NGUYEN DOAN ANH, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army