International integration, including that in defence, is a strategic guideline of our Party. In light of Resolutions of the 10^th and 11^th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam on international integration, over the years, our defence has deeply and extensively intergrated into the world, and achieved important results. This has made contributions to: firmly safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, protecting Party, State, people and socialist regime, national interests, maintaining peaceful environment to develop the country; making good use of external resources to gradually modernize weapons, technical equipment, improve the military’s operational capability and national defence capacity; building a strong and harmonious ASEAN bloc and a peaceful and sustainable environment in the region and the world, raising our national and military status in the international arena.

A meeting between Vietnamese National Defence Ministry and Polish Ministry of National Defence, August 2014 (source: vov.vn)

To enhance the effectiveness of international integration in defence, alongside thoroughly grasping viewpoints, objectives, regulations of the Resolution by the Central Military Commission on “International integration and defence diplomacy to the year 2020 and beyond”, we need to focus on the following measures:

First, have a new thinking of international integration in defence to satisfy the new requirements. Promoting international integration in defence is the best way to build confidence, create a balance between us and other countries, particularly major countries, which helps make peace and maintain a peaceful and sustainable environment in the region. International integration in defence also brings us opportunities to attract external resources to modernize the military in order to downsize the strength of the military while still fulfill the task of protecting the Homeland in the new situation.

New thinking of international integration in defence must be considered within the country’s integration so that we can clearly see the interaction among politics, economics, culture, and defence and security. In the process of integration, each field has its relative independence; however there is still a positive and negative impact on one another. As international integration in defence is a specific area, to some extent, it contains features of integration in politics. Once international integration in defence bears fruit, it will have a positive impact on other areas. In return, success of integration in others will provide an important foundation for international integration in defence.

Second, proactively set and quantify objectives, evaluate results, adjust policies. For defence cooperation with other countries, we should set clear objectives and contents for each period (in short, medium, and long term). If objectives, contents, and periods are set appropriately, defence cooperation will thrive and satisfy the two sides’ interests. If objectives are abstract, contents are unclear, and periods are not fixed, defence cooperation has no results, which is even detrimental to national interests. To conduct international integration in defence,  we need to follow the formula: set objectives (general and partial ones); finalize the objectives (by promoting the signing of agreements, drawing up plans and measures); assess results, analyzing reasons; adjust the plans and measures; set new objectives (if necessary).

Third, build cultural identity of international integration in Vietnam’s defence. Culture of international integration in Vietnam’s defence is manifested in our attitude, confidence, manner, sense of responsibility, and effectiveness. In the process of international integration in defence, nobody forces us to make commitment or to take part in cooperation beyond our capability. It is the national interests providing our Party with scientific foundation to work out strategy and guideline for international integration including that in defence. For international integration in defence, we are ready for a commitment and fulfill it with a sense of high responsibility for the sake of peace, national interests, respect partners and region’s interests, and not damage the third party. To get more valuable lessons, in the process of international integration in defence, we need to have a willingness to learn, modesty, scientific method of working, and humane manner.

Fourth, focus on important partners and practical contents of cooperation to Vietnam. First and foremost, we need to clearly decide which partners are important (countries, organizations, regions). Deciding who are partners pointedly helps us not only prevent resources of integration from dispersing, but also build stable, sustainable, and reliable relations with partners in short and long term.

Apart from deciding who are partners, selecting contents of cooperation to bring most benefits for us is of paramount importance. Therefore, in bilateral and multilateral cooperation, we should focus on the following areas: border security (in land), regional security, particularly security in the East Sea (traditional and non-traditional security); dealing with the aftermath of war and disasters; developing defence industry (focusing on arms and military equipment producing to reduce purchase and dependence); military trade; strategic research; human resources training; UN peace-keeping operations.

Fifth, enhance leadership, management, and organization capability.

Sixth, promote strategic research and forecast, help the National Defence Ministry make proposals to Party and State in order to have appropriate policies. Global situation has changed rapidly with the following characteristics: there exist “games” among major powers, and a group of countries; establishment of complex, intertwining organizations and forces; potential risk of complex and unforeseeable relations. Hence, we need a general consideration of both advantages and disadvantages in detailed implementation of activities of international integration in defence; carefully analyze partner’s objective, for politics or profit; is that objective detrimental to the third party? To this end, we should build a statute of coordination for strategic research and forecast, and defence and security information exchange between relevant ministries and branches. Next, we need to take advantage of our partner’s edge, view strategic research as an important part of cooperation and a matter of our concern to enhance the effectiveness of research and forecast.

Major General Vu Chien Thang

Director of Foreign Relations Department, Ministry of National Defence