Building politically strong agencies and units is the core content and decisive to the successful completion of tasks of the entire Military. This is even more important for Naval Region 5 which manages and protects the seas of strategic importance. Therefore, in order to build an all strong, "exemplary, typical" unit, the Party Committee and the Command of the Region focus on leading and directing the building of a politically strong unit as a basis for improving its overall quality and combat strength, meeting the requirements and tasks.

In the face of increasingly challenging tasks of protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands, in recent years, officers and soldiers of Naval Region 5 (NR5) have always stayed united, determined, and strived to overcome all difficulties and strive to complete all tasks. As a result, its overall quality and level of combat readiness, especially operation at sea, have been improved; defence foreign affairs have been promoted; the work of regularity building and discipline enforcement has seen steady progress; supplies are always ensured for regular and unexpected missions; soldiers' living standards have been improved. Besides the good performance of central political tasks, NR5’s Command has also proactively coordinated with forces in the area to participate in preventing and combating crime, illegal border crossing and entry; enthusiastically supported fishermen in their offshore fishing; prevented IUU fishing activities, etc. With such effort, for many consecutive years since 1999, the Region has been rated as an "exemplary and typical" and all strong unit, trusted and appreciated by the Navy, the Ministry of National Defence, and local party committees and authorities.

Sr. Col. Nguyen Huu Thoan chairs the meeting on cadre work

However, being impacted by several factors, the maritime security situation in the area under its authority is still complicated. Smuggling and illegal seafood exploitation activities are on the rising trend; hostile forces and political opportunists promote their acts of sabotage and "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" internally. In the meantime, its affiliated units are stationed scatteredly on offshore islands in a wide area, operating independently for long periods of time at sea. Faced with that reality, to successfully complete all tasks, NR5’s Party Committee and Command continue to lead and direct the comprehensive implementation of all aspects of work, focusing on building a politically strong unit as a basis for improving the overall quality and combat power of the entire Region, with the following main contents and solutions:

First of all, strengthening political and ideological education, raising awareness, and building trust and determination for its officers and soldiers. NR5’s Party Committee and Command focus on education to make its officers and soldiers firmly grasp the Party's guidelines and viewpoints; resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on the task of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation; the Strategy for marine economic development associated with sea and island sovereignty protection; on partners and adversaries of Vietnamese revolution, combat objects of the Military, tasks of the Navy, the Regional Command and its subordinate agencies and units. To do that, the Regional Command focuses on comprehensively implementing the plan for political education, focusing on promoting the project "Innovating political education at the units in the new period" with many effective, creative, and realistic ways suitable with the task requirements of each agency and unit; continue to effectively carry out ideological activities on the restructuring the Region to create consensus on the awareness of officers and soldiers regarding the requirement to build an “lean, compact, strong" Region. At the same time, it holds cultural, artistic, and sports activities, promotes cultural institutions, and continues to promote the movement of "Building a good, healthy, and rich cultural environment in the Military", creating a healthy environment for soldiers. In addition, it promotes the role of the core force and the collaborators in actively fighting against wrong and hostile views, firmly protecting the Party's ideological ground in the units.

Building pure, strong, typical party organisations with high leadership capacity and combat strength, worthy of being the nuclei of leadership at the grassroots is an important and decisive solution for making the unit politically strong, in particular and completing all tasks, in general. Accordingly, Party Committee of the Region and its subordinates at all levels continue to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement resolutions and directives on Party building and rectification work; action programmes and additional plans to implement resolutions of party committees at all levels; supplement and improve working and leadership regulations on key work aspects, etc. At the same time, it proactively reviews and consolidates party committees at all levels to ensure the right structure and operational quality; promotes the building of clean, strong and typical party organisations associated with building all strong "exemplary and typical" units, while strengthening the management, education, training, and improving the capacity and responsibility of officers and party members in all aspects. Moreover, it upholds the roles and responsibilities of political commissars, junior political commissars, political agencies and cadres at all levels; proactively guides, deploys, and implements effectively party and political works; carries out inspection and supervision thoroughly and promptly handles violations to prevent and limit breaches of discipline among its members.

Building a contingent of cadres with a reasonable number and structure, high qualification, capability, and morality is a key content, significantly contributing to improving the quality of task performance, creating a foundation for building a politically strong unit. Bearing that in mind, the Region’s Party Committee continues to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement Resolution No. 1348-NQ/DUQC, dated July 12th, 2019 of the Navy’s Party Committee on "Building a team of Navy officers, especially those at the campaign level, on a par with the requirements and tasks in the new situation"; principles, regulations, procedures, and instructions on cadre work are carried out in a methodical, scientifical, and serious manner. Based on the experience after 3 years of implementing Regulation No. 205-QD/TW, dated September 23rd, 2019 of the Politburo on power control in cadre work and the prevention of power manipulation, the Region’s Party Committee focuses on leadership and direction of cadre work in accordance with procedures and principles. In the short run, it seeks to resolve the issue of redundant cadres after merger; makes plans for training for the period 2023 - 2025 and the following years; reviews the planning of commanding and managerial officers at all levels for the 2020 - 2025 term in accordance with the instructions of higher echelon; provides the best policies according to current regulations so that its cadres and party members feel enthusiastic with their work, especially during long-time operations at sea.

Rescuing fishing boat in distress

In order to create a stable environment for building a politically strong unit, the Region’s Command promotes mass mobilisation work, builds a strong "people's heart and mind posture" in the area of operation. Accordingly, it focuses on effectively implementing sea and island propaganda, especially the prevention of Vietnam’s fishing vessels violating foreign waters and foreign fishing vessels violating Vietnam's. It closely coordinates with local party committees and authorities, socio-political organisations, and sister units to carry out mass mobilisation; helps people overcome the consequences of natural disasters; conducts search and rescue, and disaster relief at sea; promotes coordination with the Provincial Propaganda Commission and the Women's Union of the provinces of An Giang, Ca Mau, Kien Giang on propaganda to protect the sea and island sovereignty; effectively implements the Movements of "Vietnam Navy acting as a fulcrum for fishermen at sea"; "Navy sponsors fishermen's children" to earn the sentiment and good impressions of the image of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers - Navy Soldiers" in the hearts of the people; promotes the effectiveness of special speaker stations, tapes and leaflets in propaganda; combine military training and exercises with the practice of special propaganda situations at sea and in stationed areas. Agencies and units implement decentralisation in security work, ensuring the safety of units and areas; proactively review and strictly manage the internal political situation, especially the use of information technology equipment, computer networks, the internet, confidential documents, smartphones and social networks; ensure the absolute security and safety for tasks, and build safe and strong units and areas.

Effective implementation of the above solutions is an important basis for Naval Region 5’s Command to continue building a politically strong unit, contributing to improving its overall quality, combat strength and firmly protecting the sovereignty of the Southwestern sea, islands and continental shelf of the country.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN HUU THOAN, Political Commissar of Naval Region 5