To meet the requirements set by the Homeland construction and protection in the new situation, grounded on its function and task, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) has continued effectively combining production and economic development with defence-security consolidation via proper measures in accordance with the Party’s orientations and the State’s law.

Under the Party’s guidelines on combining economy with defence and vice versa, over the years, the VPA’s economic-defence units and enterprises have promoted their potential and strengths, effectively taken part in the country’s economic development, and well performed the military-defence work in order to boost production and provide products of high economic value for the society, develop and rearrange residential zones, and consolidate national defence in the strategic, isolated, remote, border, sea, island areas. 

Since the issuance of the Prime Minister’s Decisions 1391/QĐ-TTg, dated August 9th, 2010 and 49/QĐ-TTg, dated June 24th, 2020 on approving the Master Plan for the building and development of economic-defence zones in the strategic isolated, remote, border, sea, and island areas, rural infrastructures within such areas have been constructed rather synchronously. New clusters of residential areas along the border and the posture of all-people national defence have been formed sustainably and economic development has been stabilised. Besides, military enterprises have well maintained their role in the country’s development, made contributions to sustaining the macroeconomic policy and restructuring state-owned businesses, facilitated the military-defence work, consolidated the Army Rear, and boosted socio-economic development. It should be noted that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, staff members of military enterprises have assisted the Government and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) in implementing various measures for pandemic prevention and control. They have donated hundreds of billions of VND to the Government’s vaccine fund. Many units have used the revenues from their animal/crop husbandry to provide assistance for people and families affected by COVID-19.

Unloading cargo at the Saigon Newport Corporation

Military enterprises and units have also actively taken part in developing several marine economic sectors together with the defence of national maritime sovereignty, such as aquaculture, seafood process and export, and fishing far from the coast. They have invested in building fleets in charge of logistics support for fishermen, developing the shipbuilding industry, planting trees on islands, and providing telecommunications services for all islands and oil platforms, thereby contributing to strengthening the defence-security potential and posture in the strategic sea, island areas.

In the upcoming time, addition to advantages, the situation on a global and regional scale will be still complex and unpredictable. More challenges will be posed to the defence of national sovereignty at sea and in cyberspace. There are a lot of risks to the national economy as its adaptability to the outside and its accessibility to the digital economy are limited. Besides, resources for national defence and security are still poor. Against that backdrop, in addition to raising its synergy and combat power, the VPA shall adhere to the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law to develop production and combine economic development with defence consolidation for the sake of national construction and protection.

First of all, it is necessary to enhance the work of propagation and education to render the entire Military and people fully aware that the VPA’s participation in production is a continuation of the nation’s valuable tradition of “sending troops to farms in peacetime” in the new period. Offices, units, and localities shall educate troops and citizens on the policy of combining economy with defence and vice versa by the Party, the State, and the VPA as well as resolutions and directives by the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the MND on performing the VPA’s function as “an army ready for production”. Besides, due attention should be paid to propagating the Military’s achievements in economic development and typical examples in production. It is important to carry out the work of propagation and education via various methods and forms relevant to each unit and area. Great value should be attached to resolutely fighting against the hostile forces’ wrong viewpoints and their distortions of the VPA’s production task aimed at undermining the Military’s prestige.

While implementing their task, the Military’s economic-defence units and enterprises shall grasp and well perform their three functions as “an army ready for combat, for work, and for production.” In peacetime, they are production units, but in defence-security situations, they must be tasked with fighting enemies, serving combat, and facilitating natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control. An army for business and production as the defence potential must be transformed into a military-defence force in the event.

Second, renew the mechanism of operation and investment to raise the effectiveness of economic-defence zone building and economic-defence corps in the strategic, border, sea, and island areas. Grasping and executing the Party and State’s guidelines and directives on performing the military-defence work, facilitating sustainable economic development, maintaining politico-social stability, and firmly protecting national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity, the MND’s Department of Economics has given advice on constructing and improving key economic-defence zones in the strategic, border, sea, island areas in line with plans on defence, security, and defensive zone postures, logistics-technical bases of military regions and services, and the MND’s strategic logistics bases. However, in the upcoming time, it is essential to restructure economic-defence units in a compact, strong manner and improve the effectiveness of their operation so that they could become a core force in the building of solid defensive zones and the task of training and combat readiness, serve combat and fight enemies in the event, take part in building strong political bases and areas at grass-roots level, consolidate the defence-security posture, boost socio-economic development, and participate in hunger eradication, poverty reduction, new-style countryside construction, natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control, and search and rescue in the strategic, border, sea, island, isolated, remote areas and the areas in extreme difficulty.

Third, build and develop the marine economy in line with the defence of national sovereignty over seas and islands.  Grounded on the 5-year action plan for the Resolution 36-NQ/TW by the 12th Party Central Committee’s 8th Plenum on the Strategy for the development of Vietnam’s marine economy towards 2020, with a vision towards 2045, the Department of Economics will focus on making military economic corporations strong and capable of playing a core role in combining economic development with defence-security consolidation at sea. Moreover, it is necessary to more invest in developing the Military’s key economic sectors at sea, building dual-purpose economic sectors, repairing oil rigs and means of search and rescue, and constructing fisheries logistics service and fishing centres. Policies to encourage the people to work at sea, build a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds,” and boost socio-economic development should be designed. Due attention should be paid to cooperating with the Vietnam Coast Guard, the Navy, and the Border Guard Force in defending national sovereignty over seas and islands. Besides, great weight should be added to building islands near the coast into economic, scientific-technological, defence, and security hubs and fostering a combination of economy and defence at sea, particularly in the seas and islands far from the coast.

Fourth, rearrange, restructure, renew, and improve military enterprises, with a focus on developing dual-purpose defence businesses capable of performing the military-defence task. Based on the CMC’s Resolution 425-NQ/QUTW, dated May 18th, 2017 on “rearranging, renewing, and improving military enterprises towards 2020 and beyond,” the Department of Economics shall continue proposing measures to organise strategic-level economic agencies which will help the MND perform its function as the owner of military businesses. The process of rearranging, restructuring, and improving military enterprises must be relevant to the National Defence Strategy, the Military Strategy, the Determination to Defend the Homeland, the Project to adjust the VPA’s organisation, directions for developing state-owned businesses, the Project on defence industry development, and the Project on building materiel repair facilities in regions and operational areas. It is vital to resolutely equitise and divest military enterprises whose operation is less relevant to the military-defence task, enhance owners’ supervisory work, and promote the role of control boards and controllers within military-owned businesses. Due regard should be paid to maintaining and developing enterprises with great capacity of technology and administration, sustainable, efficient development, and competitive advantages over other domestic and foreign ones. Importance should be attached to facilitating businesses in charge of manufacturing defence products, weapons, and equipment, providing telecommunications services, and constructing airports and seaports, particularly in the strategic, isolated, remote, border, sea, island areas.

Fifth, manage and organise production and combination of economic development and defence consolidation within standing and public non-business units. It is necessary for standing and public non-business units to take advantage of their available resources to step up animal/crop husbandry and economic development in accordance with their particularities so as to improve troops’ material and mental life. More investments should be employed to construct large-scale animal/crop husbandry zones in line with logistics-technical bases within defensive zones. The Military’s public non-business units must be closely managed and provided with a favourable condition for their autonomy and their performance of the military-defence task, while due attention should be paid to facilitating the financial autonomy of military hospitals, research centres, and guest houses.

Furthermore, the Department of Economics will continue closely cooperating with competent offices in supplementing and perfecting policies for the Military’s combination of economic development and defence consolidation to create a breakthrough in performing the function as “an army ready for production” and greatly contribute to the country’s socio-economic development and the Homeland construction and protection.

Maj. Gen., Doctor TRAN DINH THANG, Head of the MND’s Department of Economics