As a means to harmonize interests, aiming to support and develop troops, ensuring social justice and progress, social policy for the military and their families is an important motive and plays an increasingly important role in building the army, consolidating national defense, and protecting the Fatherland in the new period.

Seamen stay still in mission

Imbued with the teaching of Late President Ho Chi Minh “A strong army comes from good education, sound policies and strict discipline”, since the inception of revolution, especially in recent years, our Party, State have always paid attention to leading, directing the study, issue, supplementation, and perfection of the social policy system for the military and their families. Those policies both show the preferential treatment of the Party, State and our people and reflect the particular working conditions of troops in their military career. Regulations and preferential policies for the revolution devotees, resistance fighters, war invalids and martyrs’ families continue to be supplemented and perfected. “Gratitude and Thanksgiving” activities have attracted the widespread and effective participation of people from all walks of life both at home and abroad… Those results not only affirm the Party’s viewpoint that: “Sound and just social policies for man are powerful motive, bringing into full play all creativities of people in the cause of constructing and protecting the Fatherland”, but also contribute to encouraging troops to reassure to strive, consolidating the rear, and creating a new motive for the cause of building the army, strengthening national defense, and protecting the Fatherland in the new context.

However, there are still some shortcomings, inadequacies in social policy system for the military and their families, namely: insufficient perception of some organizations, forces in the society about the role, content, and requirements of social policies for the military and their families; nonsynchronous policy system with many unsolved urgent policy problems; no breakthrough or the inadequacy not only in the thought and reality of planning the policies to attract, keep, and bring into play the high quality human resource and talents serving in the army but also in the policies for military families on such matters as accommodation, employment, healthcare, education, etc; limits and low efficiency of the state management on the policies; integrated strength in implementing the policies not being fully brought into play; slow progress and shortcomings in administrative reform in the field of national devotees; the declining trend in preferential policies for the military and their families; difficulties in the lives of military personnel and their families; the incompatibility of the policies with the requirements of developing the organization, missions and actions of the army and of building the rear, etc.

Therefore, perfecting the policies is an objective requirement, a process of awareness renovation, continuity, amendment, supplementation and development of appropriate ones. On the basis of the Party’s viewpoint, especially the resolution of the 5^th Plenum of the Central Party Committee (Central Resolution 5) (XI Tenure), new regulations and policies need to be supplemented, revised, issued to take better care for spiritual and material life of troops and their families and create an incentive for building an increasingly strong army and its rear. To do that, subjects and forces involved in the study need to carry out the following basic means and contents:

First, it is necessary to permanently grasp, creatively apply matters of principle; make a change in perception, ensure a high consensus during the study to perfect social policies for the military and their families. When studying, planning, and implementing the policies, the enforcers have to follow on and serve for the revolutionary mission, the mission of building the army, strengthening national defense, protecting the Fatherland in the new stage; meanwhile, they have to link policies with socio-economic development of the country, ensuring that “economic growth goes together with social justice and progress right in each step and each policy of development”. In order to effectively conduct the study to perfect social policies for the military and their families, this work must be put under the leadership of party committees. During the implementation process, it is necessary to combine ideological work with organization work and policy work.

War invalids are well-cared by the community

Furthermore, it is necessary to make a change in perception of industries, organs, forces to create a high consensus in planning and implementing the policies. History has shown out that combat strength of the army comes from many sources, in which policies take an important role. Therefore, subjects and forces involved in the policies need to grasp thoroughly Strategy for Protecting the Fatherland in the new period; especially orientation in force organization, combat methods, functions and missions of the army; changes and difficulties in the lives of troops and their families in new socio-economic context. On that basis, to have a unified awareness of the role and the necessity to perfect these policies; “feeding troops” and “using troops” need to be seen as an organical linkage and need to be done consistently in both wartime and peacetime. The consensus in the study needs to be presented in both viewpoint, orientation, plan and in forming and implementing each particular policy with its own requirements, tasks and objects to ensure practicality and effectiveness.

Second, to combine the three factors: amendment, supplement, adjustment and new publication to make a synchronized system of policies. Subjects, forces involved in the study must grasp thoroughly the Central Resolution 5 (XI Tenure), the salary and social insurance reforming process, the preferential policies of the Party and State for the national devotees, and the reality to continue to enhance the quality of implementation of the core tasks of policy work from now until 2015. At the same time, it is vital to make good scientific forecast about the related situation, decide on the orientation, plan policy work for the army and its rear till 2020 and the following years; Pay attention to checking to identify groups of policies which need supplement, amendment or new publication and road map, methods of implementation; focus on studying, proposing and carrying out successfully core policies which are popular with troops and their families.

At present, there’s a matter of concern: to promote salary reform in the army to match with special natures, features, living and working conditions of the military; proactively overcome the existing constraints and shortcomings. Accordingly, in the coming time, salary in the military area needs to be kept correlative with the early days of reform (1993); with higher basic salary and other allowances just like the ones of civil officials…; pay for troops will be raised many times with higher coefficient (including general-level ranks); narrowing the gap between salary of non-commissioned officers and that of commissioned officers; providing allowances according to the number of years in service for defense workers. At the same time, increase allowance for those holding leading, commanding and managing positions; study and propose allowances for the specific activity of the army. Continue to study theoretical and practical basis for position-based salary regime (or combine rank and position) to meet the demand of salary reform in the future. Besides, subjects and forces conducting the policies need to pay attention to studying, perfecting social insurance policy; amend, supplement Law on Social Insurance; enhance solutions on balancing income-expenditure, ensure the safety and development of social insurance fund. On the other hand, continue to study, summarize, and evaluate the appropriateness, effectiveness of each regulation for troops in relation with features of a military organization and action; pay attention to enhancing the quality of payment reform, reduce the administrative cost in running social insurance procedures; carry out effectively regulations, policies for demobilized troops, mental, serious and long-lasting illness sufferers… These will contribute to boosting the downsizing and enhancing troop quality.

Border guards on patrol

Mobilize and integrate sources, gradually ameliorate, ensure accommodation for the military; continue to renew mechanisms, policies, ways of mobilizing sources in line with demand of “no subsidy” for house. Accordingly, study and gradually apply and increase housing allowance integrated in salary with effective way of managing and enforcing; develop systems of public accommodation for the married in accordance with stable stationing area of army units.  At the same time, create supplies, diversify modes, provide financial aids, create conditions for troops to participate in housing projects, buy commercial houses, buy houses by installment, rent or buy social houses; accelerate programs: House of Gratitude, Comradeship House, House of Unity…to support national devotees, policy beneficiaries, and troops with special difficulties in accommodation.

Localities and units continue to renovate their vocational training programs and create jobs for demobilized troops; enhance quality in vocational centers, renew regime and vocational training ways for troops both before and after their demobilization; have a close, scientific, and flexible combination between responsibility of organization in orienting, creating conditions, chances in term of regime and policy with the activeness and responsibility of troops. Create various ways to link domestic labour market with overseas one, diversify job creation, make sure that demobilized troops get training, upgrade their expertise, get a job, have a stable income and life; issue appropriate policies and regulations in fostering, training and retraining the demobilized troops to supply for the political systems at grass-roots level, especially mountainous and minority-inhabited areas.

Third, to give priority, continue to adjust, supplement regulations, policies for those who conduct special, new missions, those who are in service in remote and arduous areas; to have breakthrough solutions on attracting, keeping and developing highly-qualified manpower serving in the army. To this end, policy enforcers need to review the current policies, special benefit (Decree 116/2011/NĐ-CP, Decision 15/2009/QĐ-TTg…), propose solutions on settling problems and inadequacies about objects and conditions of benefit; research, propose policies for forces stationing on offshore islands; reasonably apply favourable policies on vocational training for servicemen in the army (healthcare, education…); have priorities for highly demanding forces with special expertise for modernization, organization development of the army and for international mission…; gradually propose breakthrough policies on attracting, keeping and developing high quality manpower for the army, prevent thwarted talent and brain drain situation; ensure that high-quality staff will increase in both quality and quantity, deserving the vanguard in the course of modernizing and building a comprehensively strong army. To have breakthrough in policies, it is necessary to harmonize these factors: esteem for the highly-qualified manpower; ability and consistency in management, assessment of leaders, commanders at all levels on the actual effectiveness of this staff, and the high political determination in leading, instructing, researching, proposing policies. During implementation, it is necessary to keep up with reality of the renewal in education – training, science-technology, and cadre – assigning work, with synchronous solutions, policies on “most favoured”, “preference” for highly-qualified staff and talents in the army. Accordingly, focus on supplementing, issuing policies, benefit which are really materially and spiritually encouraging (widen scope, objects and gradually increase allowance for those who hold scientific titles and degrees; honour and support regularly for teachers, doctors, artists, scientists who are awarded with state-level honourable titles); renovate policies on training, employing, using, create favourable working environment for them to serve and devote reassuringly.

DK1 offshore in the wind

Fourth, to promote integrated strength, carry out thoroughly policies for the rear, favourable policies for the national devotees, promote “gratitude and thanksgiving” activities in the new stage. Units at all levels need to integrate social policies of the state with movements of the mass to take better care for the retired, war participants of all stages, and those who are in charge of local military and defense tasks. At the same time, carry out thoroughly the existing regulations on healthcare, educational support for families of working troops, subsidies for families of special difficulties; actively study, propose broadening and gradually implement policies on social welfare for troops’ families; bring into play collective’s and individual’s strength in caring for families of troops who are in service in border regions, on islands, in areas of difficulty… Agencies at all levels need to implement preferential policies for the national devotees; grasp and implement well new regulations on objects, conditions, provision of benefit, especially contents which are directly related to defense-security and army members; on the responsibility of the Ministry of National Defense and military units in the course of implementation. Due care, material and spiritual support will be given in a timely manner to the casualties and their families; war invalids, national devotees’ off springs working in the army will get the most favourable conditions in training, posting, employing and in career advancement. “Gratitude and thanksgiving” programs will be implemented carefully; national devotees who are still in service will be cared: at the same time, proactively join hands with local authorities, party committees in caring for policy beneficiaries, Viet Nam heroic mothers, war invalids, martyr’s family in the operating area; promote the act of searching and returning martyr’s remains.

Houses of gratitude are granted to policy beneficiaries across the country

Fifth, to continue to renovate, enhance the quality and effectiveness of state management on social policies for the military and their families. On the basis of strengthening the leadership, direction of party committees, promote responsibilities of leaders, commanders of organs, units in the management, operation, and implementation of policies, further improve forecasting capability, quality in advising, proposing and implementing policies in each stage; strongly innovate steps in the implementation of policies towards continuous administrative reform, transparency, professionalism, and gradual modernization.  Organs of the army continue to consolidate, perfect functions, responsibilities of their policy agencies at all levels; actively foster and improve quality and ability of cadres in charge of policy work; clearly define leading role, coordinate, overcome the overlap, ensure the unified and effective leading, directing and implementation of policies; Focus on making better dissemination, coordination among related agencies and units; enhance the quality and effectiveness of situation checking and management, preliminary review, summarizing, and example multiplication; enhance informing, focus on receiving and settling problems, proposals of units and individuals  in implementing policies; impose strict punishment to the wrongdoings; put the implementation of social policies for the military and their families into common practices, contributing to creating political and spiritual strength in the cause of constructing and defending the Viet Nam socialist country.  v

Major-General Tran Van Minh

Director of the Department of Policies