Thoroughly grasping the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines on national defence in the new period, along with promoting socio-economic development, Hai Ba Trung District determined that leading and directing to improve the quality of national defence and military work is an important and urgent task, contributing to building a strong all-people national defence, meeting the requirements of safeguarding the Capital and the Fatherland in the new situation.

Hai Ba Trung District is one of the core areas of Hanoi City with more than 30,000 people residing in a relatively narrow area consisting of 18 wards. This District has a long history, acting as one of the economic, administrative, cultural, tourist, and service hubs of Hanoi. Therefore, it possesses an important position in politics, economics, socio-culture, national defence, security, and foreign affairs. Over the years, along with socio-economic accomplishments, the District has always focused on leading, directing, and effectively implementing national defence and military tasks with outstanding achievements. For examples, attention has been paid to the education of national defence and security, which has seen positive changes; the recruitment of young citizens has been renewed to be more substantive and effective; the combination of socio-economic development and the strengthening of national defence and security is focused and solidified; the training and exercises of defensive areas and defensive combats are maintained; the overall quality and combat strength of the armed forces are constantly improved to timely and effectively handle all situations, thus maintaining political security, social order and safety, helping the District to develop quickly and sustainably.

However, there are potential complications of social order due to rapid urbanisation, high population density, bustling socio-economic activities, etc; the pressure on social security is gradually increased. Additionally, the relationship between economic development and the assurance of national defence and security continues to pose issues that need to be solved fundamentally and methodically. Being faced with that fact, the District Party Committee has identified several leadership policies and measures to improve the quality of national defence and military work as follows:

First, promoting the role of party committees and authorities at all levels in national defence and military tasks. This is the most important issue that determines the effectiveness of national defence and military work, especially in an inner-city district, which is faced with great pressure on population density, safe space, and non-traditional security challenges. In order to achieve efficiency, the District focuses on thoroughly grasping the resolutions and directives of the Party, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, the City Party Committee, the City’s People Committee, and Hanoi Capital Command as a basis for raising the awareness and sense of responsibility of all-level leaders and commanders in formulating and promulgating resolutions, directives, and plans to implement national defence and military work in accordance with reality. At the same time, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of management and administration of all-level authorities through practical actions in national defence and military work, ensuring flexibility to achieve positive results. Military and Public Security agencies uphold their responsibilities in building, supplementing, and perfecting mechanisms and regulations on the construction and organisation of activities of defensive areas; regularly grasp the situation, promptly and effectively handle complex cases, avoiding the formation of “hot spots”. Continuing to renovate and improve the operational efficiency of the Military Service Council, the National Defence and Security Education Council, and the Defensive Area Supply Council through conferences to constantly improve the quality and efficiency of national defence and military work. Besides, the District focuses on leading and directing functional agencies, especially military agencies, to actively advise party committees and authorities as well as act as the core force in appraising master plans, plans, and projects to develop socio-economy, ensuring the close combination of the economy and national defence and security, which is a step of socio-economic development equals to a step of increasing the potential and strength of national defence and security and vice versa. Thereby, contributing to the successful implementation of economic development goals, maintaining political stability, social order and safety, and improving people’s standard of living; intensifying the implementation of dual-use projects and works; associating the development of infrastructure and urban traffic with the construction of defensive works, serving national defence and military tasks when in need.

A situation-based drill of local defence work in Hai Ba Trung District

Second, building strong armed forces to act as the core in carrying out national defence and military tasks. On the basis of thoroughly grasping the Party’s viewpoints on building the armed forces in the new situation, the District Party Committee and People’s Committee focus on leading and directing the building of elite, compact and strong armed forces with a reasonable structure and composition, serving as the core in carrying out national defence and military tasks. Priority is given to building a strong standing force that acts as the core in coordinating with other forces to effectively grasp and handle all arising situations, thus maintaining political security, social order and safety as well as creating favourable conditions for economic, cultural, and social development of the District and the Capital. Besides, taking part in the prevention, control and overcoming the aftermaths of natural disasters, fires, and explosions; implementing policies for the Army and Military’s families. In the short term, regularly consolidating the standing force according to the organisation of the Ministry of National Defence; well promoting the key role in advising, coordinating, guiding, and organising the implementation of national defence and military work. Building a strong and high-quality reserve force; strictly managing, regularly checking and reviewing to make it ready to be mobilised when in need. Focusing on building a strong and widespread militia and self-defence force, ensuring a reasonable structure with high quality, especially political quality; striving to reach the figures of 1.3% of the population and 18-20% party members for the end of the 2020-2025 term, meeting the requirements and tasks of national defence and security at the grassroots.

To improve the combat readiness of the armed forces, military agencies at all levels strictly follow higher echelons’ instructions and training orders; regularly improve the training capacity and qualifications for grassroots cadres; carefully prepare before training; organise training in accordance with the regulations with a focus on techniques and tactics; organise training for subjects to master available weapons and equipment; closely combine combat training with search and rescue training, etc. to ensure absolute safety. In defensive area drills, importance is attached to building real-life situations and mobilising militia and self-defence forces to improve coordination and synergy among localities and forces, especially the coordination between the Army and the Public Security in handling issues related to national defence and security.

Third, promoting education on national defence and security. Currently, due to the high requirements of the task of safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation, it is of strategic importance to raise the awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members, the armed forces, and the people, creating synergy, strengthening defence potential during peacetime. Therefore, the District focuses on directing the National Defence and Security Education Council to survey and grasp the situation in wards, self-defence units, and focal points in the locality, which serves as a basis for determining the appropriate contents, programmes, and targets for the education of national defence and security. The main content of the education is about the Party’s viewpoints and guidelines, the State’s laws and policies on national defence and military, the policy on building all-people national defence and people’s security, legal documents, higher echelons’ resolutions, directives, and instructions on national defence and security work, and the conspiracies and sabotage of hostile forces. To make it effective, the District directs the National Defence and Security Education Council to renovate its methods in the direction of organising classes combined with activities of socio-political organisations; promote the effectiveness of the radio systems in wards, promptly propagating and informing events, praising typical examples in carrying out national defence and security tasks. The awareness and responsibility of the entire people for the national defence and security tasks are raised, thus contributing to strengthening the all-people defence posture in the area.

Fourth, improving the quality of military recruitment. To achieve the goal of fulfilling 100% of the target and recruitment plan according to the Resolution of the 14^th District Military Party Congress for the 2020-2025 period, along with promoting propaganda and education to raise awareness and responsibility for people in the implementation of the Law on Military Service, the District Party Committee and People’s Committee follow the higher echelons’ decisions, directives, and instructions and promulgate documents leading and directing the military recruitment; consolidate military service councils at all levels; regularly carry out the registration and management of citizens in the military age group; strictly organise medical check-ups, examination in accordance with the process and the law.

Additionally, the District focuses on leading and directing agencies, units, and localities to well implement the policy work for discharged soldiers, such as: job introduction, labour export, support loans, etc. Besides, effectively implementing the policies for Military’s families by taking specific and practical actions, for examples, well solving policies for the subjects, taking care of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, building Houses of Gratitude, and visiting and giving gifts to policy beneficiaries on the occasion of holidays, etc. contributing to improving the material and spiritual life of them. Thereby, strengthening the people’s trust in the party committee and authority, building a firm “people’s hearts and minds” posture, thus successfully carrying out the task of building and safeguarding the Capital and the Fatherland in the new situation.

NGUYEN VAN NAM, Secretary of the District Party Committee