On deeply grasping guidelines and policies of the Party and State, resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and Ministry of National Defence (MND), and its functions and missions, the Policy Department has been proactively adopting many synchronous measures to promote quality and effectiveness of the policy work related to the military and military families, contributing to military building, strengthening of national defence, and protection of the Fatherland.

The Military Policy Branch in general, the Policy Department in particular is founded and developed on the basis of practical requirements of the revolutionary war in the country; the growth, combat, and victory of the military; and the cause of national construction and defence. Over the past 75 years’ building and development, under the leadership of the CMC, MND, and the General Political Department (GPD), the Policy Department has made many valuable contributions to creation and materialisation of the Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies on the policy work related to military and military families, creating a great spiritual source of military building, strengthening of national defence, and protection of the Fatherland.

On deeply grasping President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching: “A powerful military is attributed to smart education, sound policies, and strict discipline”, in recent years, the Policy Department has introduced many reforms and gradually improved quality of the work related to war invalids and martyrs, and policies on military, military families, etc., which contributes to war relief and increased material, spiritual life of cadres, soldiers, and beneficiaries and give a vital momentum for military building in the new situation.

In the face of recent developments in terms of both beneficiaries, fields, scope of operations, and missions of this branch, the Policy Department has worked closely with departments of ministries and branches from the central to local levels to study and recommend the GPD, CMC, and MND to advise the Party and State to amend, supplement, and promulgate many legal documents related to policy and state management of policy work over military and military families, ensuring increasing closeness, synchronicity, and effectiveness. Attention is focused on researching, proposing, directing, and instructing implementation of regulations and policies on salary, allowance, grant, and social security of active duty personnel, newly-established forces, and forces undertaking specific operations; policies on demobilised military personnel; policies on health insurance for beneficiaries; visiting and offering gifts and grants to military personnel working in key, strategic areas in terms of national defence, in border areas, on islands and people with fatal diseases; caring for retired military cadres, etc., contributing to encouraging cadres and soldiers in the entire military to devote their life to the military and country. At the same time, it is necessary to step up propagation and popularisation of regulations and policies on the military and military families; broaden international cooperation on search, repatriation, and identification of martyrs’ remains; effectively participate in activities held to expressing gratitude to people with meritorious services to the revolution; make the military policy branch strong and capable of accomplishing its assigned tasks.

Election of deputies to Party Committee (2020-2025 tenure) of the Department of Policy

In the face of high requirements of national defence in the time to come, the Policy Department takes initiative in doing its work with many synchronous solutions with a view to further improving the quality of military policy work and military family work, most notably the following measures:

First, continuing to reform and promote quality and effectiveness of researching and proposing measures to implement policy work related to military and military families. This is a matter of utmost importance and key to fulfilling the Department’s political tasks in the new situation. Consequently, the Department advocates further reform of researching and proposing policies in the direction of having great depth and sufficiency of regulations and policies, thorough grasp of professional skills, right people, complying with standpoints, guidelines, and law, and timeliness in missions. New developments in beneficiaries, scopes, fields, and missions require sensible, flexible, creative research and proposal. More importantly, there needs to concentrate on enhancing the quality of predicting, discovering, and proposing measures to implement policies on the military and military families. Priorities are given to research and proposal to improve, supplement, and formulate legal documents and specific projects on regulations and policies. Attention is focused on researching and successfully carrying out regulations on salary and grant, and the policy on social security related to beneficiaries specified by the Resolution No. 27/NQ-TW, dated 21 May 2018, and the Resolution No. 28/NQ-TW, dated 23 May 2018, of the Party Central Committee (12th tenure). First and foremost, the Department concentrates on researching and proposing policies in support of building an adept, compact, strong, gradually modernised military; forces working in strategic areas, in the hinterland, in border areas, on islands, and abroad; attracting, employing, and developing high-quality human resources in the military. The Department also has to find measures to basically solve outstanding post-war issues relating to war invalids and martyrs; improve quality of search, collection, and repatriation of martyrs’ remains both at home and abroad, especially in the country; resolve to prevent shortcomings in policy work. Additionally, the Department seeks to make a breakthrough in researching and proposing measures to promote the effectiveness of state management of policy work regarding the military and military families; reforming administrative procedures for policy work; applying achievements of science and technology to policy operations. It also continues to research and propose measures to enhance quality and effectiveness of implementing policies on retired military cadres and military cadres’ families, which serves to beautify the nature and traditions of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers.”

Second, tapping into the role of a leading body in directing and instructing implementation of policy work. On the basis of thoroughly grasping resolutions, conclusions, and directives of the Party Central Committee, CMC, and MND; instructions of leaders of the GPD on policy work as well as its functions and missions, the Policy Department continues to bring into play its leading role in directing and instructing departments and units in the entire military to successfully carry out regulations and policies related to active duty personnel, and policies on military families under a practical, comprehensive motto, ensuring democracy, openness, and transparency, contributing to increased material, spiritual life of people with meritorious services to the revolution and their families. It also directs and instructs the system of policy bodies in the entire military to proactively develop plans for policy work and plans for policy activities on the occasion of holidays and Lunar New Year, especially on July 27s; advise leaders of departments, units, party committees, and local authorities to do this work in an effective, practical manner. It is necessary to focus instructions on verifying, concluding, reviewing, and timely resolving issues related to policies on people who are wounded and lay down their lives in while undertaking military, defence missions, preventing and combating crime, overcoming consequences of natural disasters, search and rescue, pandemic prevention and response, etc., ensuring compliance with law. The Department directs and instructs policy bodies at all levels in the military to promote quality and effectiveness of propagation and popularisation of regulations and policies; successfully conduct reception of citizens and respond to letters of complaint; participate in implementing polices on war invalids, martyrs, and people with meritorious services to the revolution; continue to adopt synchronous measures to improve quality of search and collection of martyrs’ remains and activities held to expressing gratitude to people with meritorious services to the revolution, contributing to building of a strong people’s heart and mind posture.

Third, working closely with relevant forces to create integrated strength to carry out policy work related to the military and military families. To fulfil its assigned tasks, The Military Policy Branch in general, the Policy Department in particular needs to promote close collaboration and coordination with departments and units both inside and outside the military. Special attention is paid to collaboration with commissions, ministries, and branches from the central to local levels. Cooperation must be comprehensive and focus on creating a legal framework and consensus on researching, proposing, and implementing regulations and policies related to active-duty personnel, senior officers, heroes of the people’s armed forces, people with many contributions to the military, and extremely difficult families of military personnel, workers, and employees. There needs to collaborate on reviewing and verifying information, exchanging records, data, and outstanding issues related to war invalids and martyrs; inspection, re-examination, struggle against shortcomings and wastefulness in policy operations, etc., creating overall strength to improve quality and effectiveness of this work and other activities.

Fourth, building a strong Military Policy Branch capable of meeting demands and missions in the new situation. Given high requirements of military modernisation, strengthening of national defence strength, and firm protection of the Fatherland in any situation, the Military Policy Branch needs to be built in an adept, compact, highly efficient direction; is capable of proposing, directing, and instructing effective implementation of policy work. Accordingly, the system of policy bodies in the entire military needs to be led and directed closely. It is necessary to build pure, robust party organisations; closely combine strengthening of organisations with cultivation of a high-quality human resource for the Military Policy Branch. Every year, the Policy Department proactively develops plans to organise training courses aimed at improving comprehensive knowledge and skills of cadres in charge of policy work in the military; attaches importance to increased abilities to conduct research and develop theory about policy work, skills and experience in policy activity; enhances ability to perceive and materialise the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and law on policy work; takes initiative in predicting and proposing measures to resolve emerging issues. It is necessary to ceaselessly reform working style in conjunction with studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and style aimed at making the Department politically, ideologically strong; possess fine dignity and professional competence; exemplary and representative; successfully accomplish its function as the leading body in the military in charge of policy work related to the military and military families; capable of meeting requirements of military building, strengthening national defence, and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

Senior Colonel DOAN QUANG HOA, Deputy Director of the Policy Department