Located in the North Central Highlands, Gia Lai Province shares nearly 90 km of border line with Cambodia. It is home to 44 ethnic groups with a population of over 1.5 million people (of which ethnic minorities account for more than 46%). In recent years, under the leadership and direction of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee, the province's soci0-economic development has enjoyed rather high growth rate; meanwhile national defence and security have been enhanced, and people's life has been improved. However, it is still a poor province with low per-capita income. Hostile and reactionary forces are increasing their sabotage activities and luring ethnic minorities to illegally cross the border. Besides, land disputes, free migration, social evils develop complicatedly; the communal political system is stilled limited in a number of aspects. Therefore, to maintain the local stability and create a favourable environment for socio-economic development, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command have always focused on leading and directing to implement defence and military tasks.

First of all, to advise the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee to lead and direct all levels to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the Party's lines and undertakings, the State's policies and laws, and the Army’s defence and military work, particularly the Politburo’s Resolution No.28-NQ/TW of (the 11^th Tenure) on the Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new situation, the Scheme for building permanent militia posts in border communes in Gia Lai province in the 2017 - 2020 period, Decree No.21/2019/NĐ-CP issued on February 22^nd, 2019 by the Government on defensive areas,   Law on Militia and Self-defence 2019, Law on Reserve 2019, and Decree No.02/2019/NĐ-CP issued on January 2^nd, 2019 by the Government on civil defence. At the same time, to advise and assist the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee in promulgating resolutions and directives on defence and military tasks and assign annual targets of local defence and military work to districts, towns, and city. On that basis, the Party committees, authorities, and mass organisations at all levels concretise into programs and plans for implementation to make it relevant to the local characteristics and tasks.

Due to its particularly important strategic position in the defence posture of the Military Region 5 and the whole country, to strengthen the defence potentials of the defensive area, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command have led and directed to develop plans and strictly implement operational regulations under Decree No.03/2019/NĐ-CP issued on September 5^th, 2019 on the coordination between the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defence in protecting national security, ensuring social order and safety, fighting against crimes, and performing defence tasks; coordinated with the Public Security and Border Guard in patrolling, controlling, and early detecting plots and tricks of hostile and reactionary forces for timely prevention; recommended the local Party committees and authorities with appropriate solutions and countermeasures to promptly and effectively handle defence and security incidents; and regularly reviewed the registration of human resources and means for the struggle to maintain border sovereignty, political security, and social order and safety and prevent "flashpoints" in the area. As a result, they have contributed to maintaining political stability, creating a favourable environment for local socio-economic development, and strengthening the people's confidence in the Party, State and Army, and provincial armed forces.

Along with that, the Provincial Military Command has advised and assisted the local Party committees and authorities in consolidating, strengthening, and improving the operational quality of the grassroots political system to ensure sufficient capacity for leading, administering, and managing all aspects of social life. Agencies and units under the provincial armed forces have promoted propagation and mobilisation of the people to well implement the movement of all-people unity for  building of cultural life in residential areas and national great unity block; focused on fostering and taken advantage of the cooperation and support of village elders, heads, and prestigious people in ethnic minority and religious people areas in timely detecting and effectively fighting against sabotage actions of hostile and reactionary forces; actively assisted local Party committees and authorities in consolidating and improving the quality of grassroots Party organisations; well implemented the Grassroots Democracy Regulations to enhance the orders and regimes and improve the operational quality of socio-political organisations; and participated in building and consolidating strong communes, hamlets, and villages, especially those in ethnic minority areas.

To lead the provincial armed forces to actively participate in new rural area building, hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and improvement of people's living standards. In implementing Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee Standing Commission’s Directive No.12-CT/TU on "Strengthening the leadership of Party Committees at all levels in building new rural villages among ethnic minorities in the province", The Provincial Military Command have coordinated with the Provincial Party Commission’s Mass Mobilisation Board in formulating plans and directing the local military units to participate in building new rural areas and conducting mass mobilisation work, especially in ethnic minority areas. To change the farmers’ thinking and working manners to reduce poverty rate sustainably, cadres and soldiers of the provincial armed forces have guided people to change breeds, livestock, and plants and apply production models with higher productivity and quality. Multiple poverty reduction models that have been effectively implemented by the provincial armed forces have contributed to building the all-people defence and all-people defence posture in association with the strong people's security posture and "people's heart-and-mind" posture and maintaining political security, social order, and safety in the province.

To build strong provincial armed forces and improve combat readiness to meet task requirements. To strictly maintain combat-readiness regimes; regularly review, adjust, supplement, and perfect the combat plans and options to suit situations; and organise exercises and well handle incidents that occurred. In training, to closely follow the motto, directions, and tasks; flexibly apply viewpoints, principles, and combinations; and direct the units to actively organise training to improve their synergies, maneuverability, and proficient use of existing weapons and equipment, especially new ones. To advise and direct units and localities to organise provincial and district defensive area drills, annual communal defensive combat drills in an effective and relevant manner. The Provincial Armed Forces’ participation in the one-sided, two-level command and staff drill in the Central Highlands was highly appreciated by the Ministry of National Defence and the Military Region. To pay regular attention to building a "strong and widespread" militia and self-defence force and a "powerful" reserve force that operates effectively. To synchronously deploy solutions on building comprehensively strong, "exemplary and typical" units close to the tasks and actual situation of each agency and unit. As a result, the quality of regularity building and discipline training of cadres and soldiers of the provincial armed forces has changed positively without discipline violations. Regarding logistics and technical work, to assure adequate amount of reserve logistic supplies and equipment for combat readiness as regulated. To promote the implementation of the movement entitled "The Army Logistics follows Uncle Ho's Teachings" and actively enhance livestock farming and production to improve the cadres and soldiers’ life. To well implement the disease prevention and control and soldiers’ health care with the rate of healthy soldiers reaching 99.15%. Regarding technical work, to timely assure weapons and technical equipment with adequate quantity and appropriate quality for tasks and strengthen the inspection, preservation, maintenance, and management of weapons and technical equipment to ensure safety and efficiency and prevent deterioration, damages or losses.

By synchronously implementing the above solutions, Gia Lai Provincial Military Party has led the good implementation of local defence and military tasks and promptly detected and prevented sabotage plots and tricks of hostile and reactionary forces to maintain stability in the area, creating a favourable environment for the province’s socio-economic development, improving the material and spiritual life of the people, and contributing to strengthening the people’s trust in the Party, State, and Army.

Senior Colonel LE TUAN HIEN, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Military Party Committee, Commissar of the Provincial Military Command