Thoroughly grasping and implementing the Party's policy on two strategic tasks of building and protecting the Fatherland, over the past years, along with promoting socio-economic development, Nam Dinh Province has always paid attention to leading and directing the implementation of local defence and military work and achieved several positive results. Notably, the awareness of officials, Party members, and people about the task of protecting the Fatherland has been raised, while the defensive zone potentials and posture have been consolidated and strengthened. Besides, the all-people defence and the all-people defence posture in association with the people's security posture have become increasingly solid, and the local political security and social order, and safety have been maintained. In 2020, the Provincial Military Command was awarded the Excellent Emulation Flag by the Ministry of National Defence. The above results are the combination of different factors, of which, the Provincial Armed Forces’ good promotion of their core role in implementing the local defence and military work is an important one.

To bring into play their role, it is required that the Provincial Armed Forces should be really strong, united, and unified in both awareness and action. Based on that awareness, the Provincial Military Command has attached great importance to building the spirit of democracy, solidarity, unity, and a high sense of determination in performing tasks for cadres and soldiers. The Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command have always thoroughly grasped and strictly implemented the principle of democratic centralism, collective leadership associated with individual accountability in all working aspects. The contingent of cadres and Party members, especially the leading cadres at all levels, have upheld their pioneering, exemplary, and typical role and harmoniously handle the relationships with the local Party committees, authorities, departments, branches, and unions, with the superiors, subordinates, etc. It has been also considered as the most effective measure to educate and persuade the soldiers. Along with that, the Provincial Military Command has maintained and well implemented the Grassroots Democracy Regulation and political, cultural, and spiritual day activities, and Law Day activities to grasp and manage the situation of thoughts, legal sense, and relationships to timely solve cadres and soldiers’ problems. As a result, it has created an exciting atmosphere, cadre-soldier cohesion, superior-subordinate unity, and determination to fulfill assigned tasks. The Provincial Armed Forces and leading cadres at all levels have earned the trust and been the reliable support of the local Party committee, authorities, and people.

Election at the Provincial Military Command's Party Congress

Based on the awareness-action unification, the Provincial Military Command and military agencies at all levels have actively advised the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Committee, and local Party Committees and authorities to strengthen the leadership and direction over the defence and military work. Deeply grasping the Party's military and defence lines, particularly the Politburo's Resolution No.28-NQ/TW (11^th tenure) on the Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new situation, Decree No.21/2019/NĐ-CP issued on February 22^nd, 2019 by the Government on defensive zones, and the superiors’ resolutions, directives, and instructions, the Provincial Military Command has actively coordinated with departments and branches in advising and assisting the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee to formulate and issue resolutions and directives for leading and directing the defence and military tasks to make it relevant with the characteristics and situation and concretise into implementation programs and plans. The Provincial Military Command has actively advised the Province to issue the Scheme entitled “Provincial, district, and city defensive zone drill; department and branch defensive combat assurance drill; and commune, ward, and township defensive combat drill in the 2020 - 2025 period”. At the same time, it has also coordinated with and advised the Province to consolidate the steering committees and councils on defence and military work at all levels and military command boards of agencies, departments, and branches open locally-funded intermediate training courses on grassroots military work for military officials in communes, wards, and townships, ... to improve their capacity and qualifications and create the source of grassroots officials.

Building defence zones is a central task of the local defence work. Over the past time, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Province to develop the Military posture planning in defensive zones and the Planning for the management of defence works and supplement and complete the mechanisms and regulations on building and operation of defensive zones. Based on the approved planning, the Provincial Armed Forces has promoted their key role in advising and deploying the building of the defensive zone posture. Despite the limited economic conditions, over the past years, Nam Dinh has mobilised and invested in building rear bases, combat bases, and defence works to form a “continuous, solid, and deep” posture and speed up building key dual-use projects, completing the transport infrastructure system, and expanding connection with other localities to serve the socio-economic development and be ready to guarantee for defence and security situations. In implementing its assigned functions, the Provincial Military Command has strictly reviewed and appraised the socio-economic development plans and projects in the locality, especially those in the key areas to avoid adverse impact on the defence and security.

In addition, the Provincial Armed Forces have always taken the lead in directing, guiding, and organising the implementation of local defence tasks. The subordinate units have strictly maintained the combat readiness regime; regularly reviewed, adjusted, and completed the combat documents; and organised exercises and drills based on defence plans and plans for natural disaster prevention, fighting, overcoming, search and rescue. They have also actively implemented measures to grasp the local situation, presided over the close coordination and cooperation with the Public Security pursuant to Decree No.03/2019/NĐ-CP issued on September 5^th, 2019 by the Government, and with the Provincial Border Guard in developing combat plans for prevention of riot and disturbances, and advised the Province and local Party Committees and authorities to adopt appropriate policies to promptly and effectively handle defence and security situations. Moreover, they have reviewed the registration of human resources and means to participate in struggling and maintaining the sovereignty of sea borders, political security, and social order and safety, not letting the “hot spots” arise in the area. Along with that, the Provincial Military Command and the local military agencies have actively advised the Party Committees and authorities and acted as the core in building the “strong and broad” self-defence militia and mobilised reserve forces to work effectively. Measures have been synchronously and drastically implemented to ensure enough quantity of recruits with increasingly high quality.

In performing the function of a “working army”, the Provincial Armed Forces have coordinated with local departments, branches, and unions in well implementing the mass mobilisation work, actively participating in the movements and campaigns such as “Gratitude repayment”, “The Army joins hands to build new countryside”, ... and pioneering in the prevention, fighting against, and overcoming of natural disaster and epidemic consequences under the motto of “Four on-spots”, to contribute to building the all-people defence, the all-people defence posture in association with the people's security posture, and the strong “people's heart-and-mind posture” and maintaining the local political security, social order, and safety. In particular, in 2020, the Provincial Military Command closely coordinated with the Provincial Public Security, the Provincial Border Guard, the Department of Health, and other functional agencies in advising the Province and the Provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention to establish 15 concentrated isolation camps with a total of 1,200 beds to receive over 1,330 citizens isolated in the 180^th Regiment and safely receive 123 citizens from Da Nang. 100% of the cadres and soldiers of the Provincial Armed Forces were eager to take the lead in the prevention and fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic. Thereby, the image of “Uncle Ho's soldiers” has been shone and trusted by the local Party Committees, authorities, and people.

Promoting the achieved results and experiences, in the coming time, Nam Dinh Provincial Armed Forces will continue uniting, grasping, and effectively implementing the resolutions of the Party Congresses at all levels and making an effort to fulfill their core role in the performance of local defence and military tasks to contributing to building and firmly protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Senior Colonel Luong Van Kiem, Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Commission, Commander of the Provincial Military Command