National Defense Academy, one of the leading institutes of the Army and the country which is tasked with training Vietnamese generals, senior officers, military and scientific and artistic officials and international defense officials and fostering of defense and security knowledge for high-ranking Party and State officials, etc. Being aware of the assigned tasks, the Academy's leaders, lecturers, staff, and soldiers have been united, proactively overcome difficulties, and focused on building a comprehensively strong Academy to meet the requirements of training high-quality military and defense human personels to serve the cause of national construction and defense in the new situation.

The Academy Party Committee and Board of Directors have focused on implementing measures to build a strong Academy of politics, ideology, and organization and a contingent of officials, lecturers, and scientists with political qualities, qualifications, and professional capacities to meet the requirements of tasks. Thanks to synchronous implementation of solutions, the Academy has always been maintained stable in politics, sustainable in training and drilling, deep in scientific research, strict in discipline, and regular in rules and regulations to contribute to completing the content and targets of training assigned by the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of Defense, being worthy of the leading centre in defense and military education and research of Vietnam. In recognition of its achievements, the State, the Government, and the Ministry of Defense have granted multiple noble awards to the Academy that have motivated officials, lecturers, staff, and soldiers to continue to endeavor to successfully complete the assigned tasks.

Lt. Gen. Tran Viet Khoa delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2019 - 2020 academic year

In the coming time, the cause of Military modernization, national defense consolidation, and Fatherland protection will challenge the Academy’s training mission with higher requirements. Meanwhile, its number of war-experienced officers and lecturers is decreasing, and teaching facilities and equipment, equipment according to smart school standards are in the standardization stage. In order to further improve the quality of building comprehensively strong and "typical and exemplary" Academy, the Party Committee and the Board of Directors will focus on implementing a number of major solutions as follows:

Firstly, to continue to build a politically strong academy, that will be the basis for fulfilling central political tasks. First of all, it is necessary to focus on renovating and improving the quality of political education and ideological orientation to nurture the political steadfastness of its officers, lecturers, staff, and soldiers to make them faithful to Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh ideology, and goals and ideals of the Party with absolute belief in the cause of national renewal and Military modernization; and revolutionarily vigilant to proactively fight to defeat disruptive plots of hostile forces. At the same time, it should firmly grasp the characteristics and tasks of the Army as well as the Academy, and the objectives, requirements, and direction of education and training of subjects as a basis for successfully organizing the implementation of all tasks. Along with that, the Academy should also attach importance to strengthening and improving the leadership and fighting power of the Party committees and organizations at all levels in association with the preparation of personnel for the Party committees of the 2020-2025 term and the on-going effective implementation of the 4^th Central Resolution  (the 12^th Tenure) on Party building and rectification; and building transparent and typically strong party committees and organizations and comprehensively strong agencies and units to meet the requirements and tasks of development of the Academy.

In order to realize the tasks, objectives, and solutions defined in Resolution No.45-NQ/ĐU issued on May 24^th, 2019 by the Academy Party Committee on "Building a contingent of officials to meet the requirements of tasks in the new situation”, the Academy will focus on building a team of presiding officers at all levels and lecturers and researchers, especially young officers and direct lectures and scientific researchers to develop comprehensively and professionally and have political qualities, competence and prestige, foreign language skills, and capacities to master new science and technologies. In the coming time, 100% of its cadres are required to have graduate and post-graduate education with campaign and strategic reasoning thinking. Concurrently, it will focus on promoting the role of mass organizations and Militarymen’s Council; strictly maintaining the Grassroots Democracy Regulations; well performing the work of mass mobilization and internal politic protection; adequately, sufficiently, and timely ensuring regimes and policies for the subjects, especially scientists, lecturers, and experts who have made great contributions to the cause of education and training of the Army and the country; and well performing the Party and political work, especially in education and training, field training, or course-end maneuvers, etc.

Secondly, to make breakthrough in innovation and improvement of the quality of training, drilling, and scientific research. Facing the requirements of training of high-quality human resources for the cause of the Military modernization and national construction and defense, the Academy should continue to make breakthrough in strong and comprehensive innovation of training, drilling, and scientific research. In particular, focus should be placed on renewing the contents, programs, and methods of management, administration, inspection, examination, and evaluation of training and drilling results towards adhering to practical duties, tasks, and positions to ensure focus, unity, synchronization, non-overlapping, and compliance  with regulations, processes and substance. At the same time, it is required to flexibly and creatively apply positive teaching methods, promote the application of information technology software in the processes of teaching, management, administration, examination, evaluation, exercise, drilling, and maneuver, and well perform the preliminary and final reviews to draw experience lessons from training and drill in order to find limitations and shortcomings and propose remedies.

Finally, to focus on building the regular order, discipline training, and logistics and technical assurance to serve the task of training. The Academy should continue to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement the criteria of building a comprehensively strong unit in accordance with Directive No.917/1999/CT-QP issued on June 22^nd, 1999 by the Ministry of Defense and Instruction No.800/QH-DL issued on March 25^th, 2019 by the Bureau of Military Training under the General Staff, on building comprehensively strong and "typical and exemplary" units. The rules and regimes of working and studying should be seriously and effectively maintained according to functions, military regulations, the Constitution, laws, and regulations on foreign affairs, especially defense foreign affairs. Besides, the Academy landscape should also be regularly consolidated to ensure regularity and "brightness, greenness, cleanness, and beauty" associated with building a healthy pedagogical and cultural environment, creating a firm, uniform, and comprehensive change in all tasks according to the standards of a regular and modern institution. Then, measures for disciplinary management, patrol, and control should be strengthened to ensure safety for agencies and units; guide, maintain and arrange vehicles in accordance with regulations.

In addition, the Academy should focus on building plans and roadmap for the implementation of assurance of equipment and facilities for training, drilling, and scientific research according to smart school standards approaching the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In the immediate future, the Academy will build the Commanding and Operating Complex Center, learning center, and online television system and upgrade smart classrooms, ... to meet the requirements of training of high-quality human resources to serve the construction of the Army and the protection of the Fatherland in the new situation to be worthy of the Academy's tradition of "Loyalty, dedication, solidarity, and creativity".

Lieutenant General, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Viet Khoa, Member of the Party Central Committee, Director of National Defense Academy