As an essential and consistent mission of the Party, people, Army, and political system in their entirety, national defence and security and foreign affairs are fundamental matters of high significance to the fate of our nation and people. Therefore, strengthening the relationship between these aspects in the Strategy for Homeland Protection is a matter of high importance, reflecting the Party’s strategic thinking and vision. This issue needs to be thoroughly grasped for the sake of practical effectiveness.

Over the years, based on a profound understanding of the role and significance of national defence and security and foreign affairs as well as the necessity of integrating these aspects into the overall activities of the country, our Party and State have consistently focused their leadership and direction on strengthening the relationship between these fields, thereby contributing to the successful implementation of the cause of building and defending our Socialist Homeland.

Participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations contributes to raising Vietnam’s status and role in the world’s security, peace, and stability (photo: VNA)

In reality, in spite of differences in their role and functions, national defence and security and foreign affairs are closely and dialectically related as a mutual basis for creating a synergy for the success of the cause of building and defending our Socialist Homeland, as enshrined in  the 10^th National Party Congress Document “National defence and security and diplomacy have contributed to maintaining political and social stability, creating a peaceful, stable environment and favourable conditions for the country’s socio-economic development”. In the 11^th National Party Congress Document, the Party reiterated: “The combination of national defence and security and foreign affairs has been given more attention”. In the same spirit, the 13^th National Congress of the Party emphasised: “The combination of national defence and security and foreign affairs is increasingly close and effective”, significantly contributing to creating a synergy for the successful implementation of the task of defending the Homeland in the context of deep and wide international integration.

Yet, the relationship between national defence and security and foreign affairs also has certain limitations and inadequacies. We often focus our awareness and thinking on the relationships between the economy and national defence and security with scant regard for the relationship between these three aspects. The Party’s 10^th National Congress pointed out: “The work of strategic study and forecast on national defence and security and diplomacy has not kept up with evolving situations. Coordination between national defence and security and foreign affairs in addressing specific issues has yet to be close”. Against this backdrop, the 8^th Plenum of the 13^th Party Central Committee issued Resolution 44-NQ/TW dated 24 November 2023 on the Strategy for Homeland Protection in the new situation (referred to as the Strategy), which assessed: “The combination of socio-economic development and national defence and security assurance in some areas and localities is not truly close or effective. There are still limitations in the domains of national defence and security and foreign affairs”. Hence, it is required to strengthen the relationship between national defence and security and foreign affairs for the success of the work of defending the Homeland early and from afar. This issue has become more urgent than ever as it represents the dialectical and interdependent relationship between security and development.

Inheriting and creatively developing Marxist-Leninist theories, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, and the Party’s previous viewpoints and policies, the Strategy for Homeland Protection in the new situation has clearly defined its objectives: to ensure national interests at the highest level on the basis of firmly protecting national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; to protect the Party, State, people, and socialist regime; to safeguard national security, political security, and social order and safety; to maintain and strengthen a peaceful environment for the country’s construction and development. Thus, the Strategy has more clearly defined the position and role of national defence and security and foreign affairs in the new situation, emphasising the role of foreign affairs, particularly in creating a security and safety belt to protect the Homeland from early and afar. This reflects the Party’s new thinking on affirming the increasingly close relationship between foreign affairs and national defence and security in the cause of defending the Homeland.

The Party’s new thinking on strengthening the relationship between national defence and security and foreign affairs is further deeply reflected in the Strategy through more clearly defining the roles, advantages, entities, and forces of foreign affairs. This includes the systematic, creative, and effective implementation of diplomatic activities, the close combination of foreign affairs and national defence and security, and the need to enhance the efficiency and leverage the unique strengths of each pillar of foreign affairs and relevant entities and forces to ensure national interests at the highest level. Moreover, whilst the document of the 13^th Party National Congress mentions the close combination of economic, cultural, social, and foreign affairs and national defence and security, and vice versa, the Strategy for Homeland Protection in the new situation affirms the pioneering role of foreign affairs in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for building and protecting the Homeland. It means that our Party has placed foreign affairs on an equal footing with economic, cultural, and social matters in their mutual relationship with national defence and security, and regarded foreign affairs as an aspect equal and directly related to national defence and security in the cause of building and defending the Homeland in the new era.

In its guiding principles, the Strategy clearly states: “taking the constant to deal with the ever-changing”, in which national interests are the constant; it must be consistent in principles and strategic goals but flexible in tactics; it is essential to pursue a policy of non-participation in military alliances, not siding with one country against another, not allowing foreign military bases or the use of Vietnamese territory against other countries, and not using or threatening to use force in international relations. At the same time, the Strategy emphasises the importance of harmoniously balancing relations with other countries, adhering to international laws, combining cooperation with struggle, avoiding isolation, passivity, dependence, and confrontation, not letting foreign nations compromise with one another or with hostile and reactionary forces to the detriment of national interests, and preventing Vietnam from becoming an area of strategic conflict among other countries, especially among major powers. The principle also requires a thorough understanding of the situation and timely and effective handling of adverse factors, especially sudden risks and challenges to traditional and non-traditional security from grass-roots level. Furthermore, it is crucial to proactively establish defensive lines and create a security belt beyond the national territory and administrative borders to firmly protect the Homeland. This marks a new development in the Party’s thinking on defining the role, responsibility, and tasks of national defence and security and foreign affairs in the cause of defending the Homeland. Defending the Homeland now encompasses both the internal and external defence of national territories and borders, and the defence of the Homeland from early and afar.

In terms of tasks and solutions, the Strategy has more clearly, deeply, and specifically defined the roles of national defence and security and foreign affairs in the cause of defending the Homeland: continuing to enhance the effectiveness of international integration in defence and security, opportunely identifying and preventing the risk of conflict and war to protect the Homeland from early and  afar; taking full advantage of external resources to strengthen national defence and security capabilities, and promote diversification of partnerships in military technology and trade; actively and effectively participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, disaster and war relief, etc.

To further strengthen the relationship between these three aspects under new conditions, the Strategy emphasises the role of foreign affairs in Vietnam’s proactive participation in regional and international multilateral mechanisms, such as ASEAN, the United Nations, APEC, the Mekong sub-regional cooperation, and other regional cooperation frameworks. It also calls for active participation in consolidating, building, and shaping multilateral mechanisms and international laws. In addition, the Strategy advocates the proactive engagement in multilateral mechanisms concerning defence, security, and foreign affairs in accordance with the new thinking of defending the Homeland from early and afar. This illustrates the Party’s increased attention paid to leveraging multilateral mechanisms and various pillars and fronts in foreign affairs, including defence and security diplomacy, to “strengthen political trust and important pillars of defence and security cooperation”. Besides, to learn from shortcomings that have arisen in managing the relationships between these aspects, the Strategy points out the need to focus on supplementing and perfecting mechanisms and regulations, particularly those concerning coordination between the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, and other central committees, ministries, sectors, mass organisations, and localities in handling situations related to Homeland Protection.

In terms of strengthening the relationship between national defence and security and foreign affairs, for the first time ever, our Party has identified the need of “Promoting studies, reviewing practical experiences, and learning from international experiences to supplement and develop theories on national defence and security, the art of people’s warfare, Vietnamese military art, and the art of protecting national security and social security in the new situation”. While the 13^th Party Congress Document emphasises “Proactively enhancing cooperation and improving the effectiveness of international integration in national defence and security,” the Strategy for Homeland Protection in the new situation makes it more specific via continuing to expand defence and security cooperation activities in line with our interests, valuing relationships with traditional friends, enhancing interconnected interests, and creating broad consensus and support from other countries on issues related to our interests.

In the new context of comprehensive, deep, and wide international integration, strengthening the relationship between national defence security and foreign affairs is an objective and urgent requirement, ensuring that national defence and security always go hand in hand with foreign affairs in forecasting, opportunely detecting, proactively preventing, and mitigating risks and challenges, and in averting and pushing back the threat of conflict and war for the purpose of maintaining political and social stability, consolidating a peaceful and stable environment for the country’s development, and simultaneously making a positive contribution to the maintenance of global and regional peace.

The Party’s new thinking on strengthening the relationship between national defence and security and foreign affairs is an essential requirement for the cause of defending the Homeland from early and afar. In this regard, national defence and security serve as the foundation for foreign affairs to uphold its role in enhancing the country’s position and prestige. At the same time, foreign affairs also contribute to enhancing national defence and security capabilities and postures. The relationship between national defence and security and foreign affairs is essentially an organic connection between the fundamental aspects of the operation of a nation. Either national defence and security, or foreign affairs may have a leading role to play depending on certain conditions and circumstances. However, all those three aspects are aimed at generating and mobilising all resources, favourable conditions, and the overall national strength for the cause of building and defending the Homeland, contributing to maintaining peace and stability, expanding relationships, and enhancing Vietnam’s position and strength on the international stage.

This major and critical policy needs to be thoroughly studied and deeply understood for the sake of practical effectiveness.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN MINH THUC, PhD

National Defence Strategy Institute