Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) is a revolutionary troop of the people, by the people and for the people. It is characterized by the worker class, peopleness and nationess nature. Its aim of operation is to fight for the Party’s ideal and the nation’s interest. For the past nearly 75 years of establishment, combat and growth, under the leadership, education and training of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, the VPA has become increasingly strong; achieved various feats of arms and outstanding achievements, making significant contribution to glorious victories of the whole nation in the cause of national liberation, construction and defense, deserving the praise of President Ho Chi Minh: “Our Army is loyal to the Party, pious to the people, ready to fight and sacrifice for the nation’s independence and freedom, and for socialism; accomplish any task, surmount any difficulty and defeat any enemy”.

Party General Secretary, President Nguyen Phu Trong and General Ngo Xuan Lich inspecting the VPA's guard of honour (Photo: VNA)

In the coming time, the world and regional situations will still see complicated and unpredictable evolutions. Territorial dispute, racial and religious conflict, overthrowing, terrorism, partial war, cyber attack, and non-traditional security threats are predicted to be on the severe and rising trend. Major powers are adjusting their strategies with both cooperation, compromise and containment which will deeply affect the world and regional security. Domestically, in the cause of national construction and defense, beside advantages, we will face a number of challenges. Complications emerge on the East Sea with latent risks of instability. Hostile forces are pushing forward their subversive schemes with “peaceful evolution” strategy, Military “depoliticization”; fostering internal “self evolution”, “self transformation” with an attempt to pull down the leadership role of the CPV and the socialist regime in Vietnam; separate the Party, the State, the Military from the people, threatening the survival of the Party, the regime and the peaceful life of the people. Facing the situation, the Military should uphold its key role in protecting the Fatherland, the Party, the State, the people and the revolutionary achievements. In order to successfully accomplish this sacred mission, the whole Military should focus on the following measures:

First, maintain and strengthen the absolute, direct, all-round leadership of the Party over the Military; focus on building the Military politically strong. The whole Military should continue to grasp and strictly adhere to the resolutions, directives issued by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat on Party building; focus on building the Military Party strong in politics, ideology, organization and morality; ceaselessly enhance the leadership capability and combat power of party committees and organizations, and the quality of party members. The Military Party should be exemplary in implementing the Central Resolution 4 (XII tenure) on Party building and rectification in association with the acceleration of the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh thought, morality and style in accordance with the Directive No. 05-CT/TW dated 15 May 2016 of the Politburo (XII tenure); combine closely Party building with Party protection; prevent the risk of “self evolution”, “self transformation” from inside, the plot of Military “depoliticization” of hostile forces. Party committees and organizations at all levels should attach importance to renewing their leadership methods and improve the quality of party meetings; strengthen checking and supervising work to maintain Party disciplines. In the short run, it is necessary to screen and consolidate party committees and organizations to match the structural adjustments at all echelons; make careful preparation and successfully conduct party congresses at all levels and the 11^th Military Party Congress, contributing to the success of the 13^th National Congress of the Party.

Second, unceasingly improve the overall quality and combat strength of the Military, meeting the requirements of Homeland protection both in the short and long run. Promoting the achieved results, the Military should continue to effectively implement the conclusions and resolutions of the Politburo on the organization of the Military until 2021; foster the restructuring of the Military toward “seasoned, compact, powerful” direction with appropriate proportions of force. Continue to have renewals and breakthroughs to improve the quality of training, education, disciplining to make the Military “revolutionary, regular, seasoned, increasingly modern” with high combat readiness. The whole Military should grasp and adhere to the resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on combat training, particularly the Resolution No. 765-NQ/QUTW on “Enhancing combat training in the 2013 - 2020 period and beyond”; focus leadership and direction and set out new measures in training and combat readiness relevant to the new thinking of the Party on defense and military mission, and the requirements of Fatherland protection in the new situation. In particular, emphasis should be placed on renewing the contents and methods of training and exercising to make it relevant to the combat reality, areas of operation, combat objects, structure, equipment, and requirements of hi-tech warfare. Strengthen task-based and scenario-based training and exercise; enhance maneuverability; combine closely training with drills, military training with political education and disciplining; consolidating soldier’s belief in the tactics and existing weaponry and equipment. Especially, attention should be paid to mastering the new and modern weapon and equipment; improve the quality of training, joint - force exercise and defensive area exercise, etc. Besides, promoting the building of exemplary and all-strong units; maintain the strict adherence of State laws and Military disciplines; apply the achievements of the 4^th Industrial Revolution into the research and development of the art of war given the new conditions of the national salvation war; develop military science and technology, military industry to accelerate the modernization of the Military, first and foremost the forces which have been straightly advanced to modernity, to make a breakthrough in the level of combat readiness of the Military.

Third, regularly heighten vigilance and combat readiness for successful combat in any situations. Facing the escalated traditional and non-traditional security threat and complicated and unpredictable issues which are affecting the Fatherland protection mission, the whole Military should thoroughly grasp the viewpoints and guidelines of the Party on military, defense, and Fatherland protection missions, directly the Central Resolution 8 (XI tenure) on “Strategy for Homeland protection in the new situation” and military and security strategies and plans. Actively conduct study, evaluation, and have accurate anticipation of the situation, especially at strategic level and the emerging issues related to defense, security and external affairs of the country; opportunely propose to the Party, the State the sound and flexible strategies and policies to prevent the risk of war and conflict soon and from afar; opportunely settle military and defense issues to prevent passive and unexpected situations.

Implementing Uncle Ho’s teaching that “Public Security and Military are two arms of the people, the Party, of the Government”, Military units should continue to coordinate and collaborate closely with the Public Security in the performance of defense and security tasks. Attention should be paid to enhance the collaboration in grasping the situation, information exchange, and internal political protection; implement the plans for protecting the crucial targets and political events; for preventing terrorism, riots, overthrowing and suppressing crimes to protect the Party, State, social safety and order. In the coming time, we are going to hold party congresses at all levels in preparation for the 13^th National Congress of the Party. Hostile forces, then, will increase their acts of sabotage. Therefore, the whole Military, especially the task forces, should actively have effective writings to counter wrongful and hostile viewpoints to defeat the “peaceful evolution”, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, Military “depoliticization” schemes, contributing to firmly protecting the ideological ground, the Platform, political and military lines of the Party, strengthen the leadership of the Party over the Military and the whole society.

Fourth, strengthen the relationship with the people, build a firm “people’s heart and mine posture” to create foundation for fulfilling the mission of Fatherland protection. Originating from the people, fighting for the people; relying on the people, maintaining the flesh and bone relation with the people are prerequisites for the development, strength, and victories of our Military. Inheriting and promoting this fine nature and tradition, the whole Military should unify perception, heighten responsibility, maintain and nurture the “flesh and bone” relation with the people; remain absolutely loyal to and fight for the interests of the people; strictly adhere to the 10 oaths and 12 regulations for interacting with the people, etc. Officers and soldiers of the military should actively stick to their area of operation and stationing area to maintain the close relation with the people and thoroughly carry out its function as a “troop for work”. In particular, attention should be paid to renewing, strengthening, enhancing the effectiveness of public relation work; foster propaganda and persuade people to adhere to the viewpoints and guidelines of the Party, laws and policies of the State; lay bare hostile forces’ subversive plots and schemes aiming at separating the people from the Party, the State, and the Military and undermining the national unity bloc. Participate in the implementation of plans for socio-economic development in combination with defense and security strengthening; renovate the rural areas and develop eco-defense zones; assist the people in economic production, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation; participate in educational popularization and provide free healthcare service for mountainous villages, etc. Actively coordinate with local authorities to better implement the policies for the rear and “paying debt of gratitude” work, contributing to improving people’s lives, and maintaining socio-political situation in localities. Moreover, the whole military should continue to uphold their vanguard role in the prevention and control of national calamities, search and rescue to protect the life and property of the State and the people and consider this a “combat mission in peace time”, thereby further promoting the virtues and tradition of “Uncle Ho’s soldier”, contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc, the flesh and bone relation between the Military and the people, the “people’s heart and mind posture”, and people’s belief in the Party, State and Military as a foundation for the Military to successfully accomplish the mission of Fatherland protection in the new era.

 Fifth, foster international integration and defense diplomacy to create new potentials and status for firmly protecting the Fatherland soon and from afar. Given the globalization, and deep and extensive international integration context at present, defense integration and diplomacy are becoming increasingly important to the cause of Homeland protection and defense consolidation. Therefore, the whole military should continue to thoroughly grasp the external lines of the Party and State, particularly the Resolution No. 22-NQ/TW of the Politburo (XI tenure) on “International Integration”, the Resolution No. 806-NQ/QUTW dated 31 December 2013 of the Central Military Commission on “Defense International integration and diplomacy until 2020 and beyond”. On this basis, plans for actions should be actively built with concrete goals and measures for accelerating international integration, widening and enhancing the effectiveness of defense diplomacy in both bilateral and multilateral aspects. In the short run, continue to foster the implementation of the Project of “International integration in defense until 2020 with a vision to 2030” as planned and scheduled; focus on fulfilling the Master Plan for defense diplomacy in the year of 2020 when Vietnam hold the chairmanship of the ASEAN; hold friendship defense border exchanges between Vietnam and its neighbours; deploy the Field hospital level-2 (number 2) and the Engineering Corps to the UN peacekeeping missions; actively participate in multilateral defense cooperation mechanism and exercise in humanity search and rescue, disaster relief. Levels, sectors and units of the military should coordinate closely and synchronously implement the foreign policies of the Party and State; strictly adhere to the regulations of the Ministry of National Defence; be persistent with and stick to the goals and orientations of integration; consider national interests as utmost importance; combine diplomacy and economic integration with the development of potentials for defense, etc. Thereby, build the strategic trust, enhance the status and prestige of the Military and the country in international arena; build firm diplomatic posture for protecting the Fatherland soon and from afar by peaceful means.

The VPA has undergone nearly 75 years of development, combat, and growth and gained several glorious feats of arms and achievements in the cause of national liberation, construction and defense. Officers and soldiers of the VPA have always been absolutely loyal to the Party, the country and the people. Fully aware of the honour and its responsibility to the Party, the country and the People, the whole military pledge to promote the nature and tradition of “Uncle Ho’s soldier”, stay united and ceaselessly strive for successfully accomplish the mission of safeguarding the Party, State and the People and the socialist regime, deserving the “Heroic Army of the heroic nation” in the new period.

General Ngo Xuan Lich, Member of the Politburo, Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defence