Quang Tri is located in the East - West economic corridor connecting with Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. Due to its narrow width, it is easily divided. Hence, the building of defensive zones is of importance to the province. Being fully aware of that, the provincial armed forces have played their core role in building defensive zones via synchronous, practical, effective measures.

Thoroughly grasping resolutions and directives by the Party and decrees by the Government on building defensive zones, over the years, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council, and the Provincial People’s Committee have focused their leadership and direction on fostering socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation in the province’s areas, particularly in border, coastal, sea, and island areas. Special importance has been attached to building defensive zones in terms of potential, force, and posture as the basis for maintaining political security, increasing defence potential, firmly protecting the province and the Homeland, effectively responding to COVID-19 pandemic, and facilitating the province’s rapid, sustainable socio-economic development.

Commander of the Provincial Military Command giving encouragement to crew members of Vietship at Cua Viet

Grounded on reviews of the 10-year implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22^nd, 2008 on building defensive zones, the Provincial Military Command (PMC) has advised the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council, and the Provincial People’s Committee to promulgate 1 resolution, 1 action programme, 7 directives, 3 projects, and many documents on military-defence task associated with the building of defensive zones in a comprehensive and focalised manner. Special emphasis has been placed on consolidating the political system from provincial to grass-roots levels, building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds,” and maintaining a high level of combat readiness within communes, wards, and townships. Moreover, the province has frequently exercised its leadership and direction over a combination of socio-economic development and defence-security consolidation, while gradually making investments in the planning and construction of key defensive areas, combat bases, and rear bases at provincial and district levels. All-level military agencies have actively proposed measures to build “basic, inter-connected, solid” defensive zones capable of protecting the province’s areas, opportunely responding to defence-security situations, foiling hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy, maintaining politico-social stability, and creating a favourable environment for boosting economic development and improving the people’s material and mental life.

However, several party committees, authorities, sectors, and organisations have yet to be fully aware of the building of defensive zones. The combination of socio-economic development and defence-security consolidation has yet to be really effective. There have been weaknesses in building the politico-spiritual potential.

In the upcoming time, a part from advantages brought by national renewal, Quang Tri will be confronted with a lot of difficulties, particularly the hostile forces’ sabotage schemes, natural disasters, epidemics, and other non-traditional security challenges. That necessitates the province’s Party Organisation, authorities, people, and especially armed forces keeping building and making defensive zones increasingly solid. To that end, it is essential to synchronously, creatively, effectively implement several main measures as follows.

First of all, continue grasping and seriously executing the Party’s resolutions and directives on building defensive zones, particularly the Politburo’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22^nd, 2008, the Government’s Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated February 22^nd, 2019, and guiding documents on building defensive zones. Significance should be attached to educating troops and citizens on patriotism, national tradition, and revolutionary vigilance and encouraging them to well implement the Party’s guidelines and the State’ policies on socio-economic and cultural development. Due attention should be paid to resolutely, opportunely settling disputes, complaints, and denunciations from the people and building up citizens’ responsibility for building the all-people national defence, protecting political security and social order and safety as well as maintaining politico-social stability right at grass-roots level.

Great value should be attached to raising the quality of defence and security education for officials, the armed forces, and the people to render them fully aware of the goals, requirements, and tasks of defence-security consolidation and the Homeland protection. It is necessary to continue renewing methods of leadership and direction, bettering the building of the political system, and improving all-level party committees, authorities, Fatherland fronts, and unions. Due regard should be paid to building politico-spiritual potential and a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds,” stepping up mass mobilisation, cementing the people’s faith in party committees and authorities, resolutely fighting against wrong, hostile viewpoints, and remaining vigilance against the hostile forces’ plots and artifices.

Second, bring into play all-level military offices’ core role in giving advice on building defensive zones’ potential and posture and closely combining socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation. This is a fundamental part of the building of defensive zones. Thus, the PMC should focus on advising the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People’s Committee to continue adjusting the planning of residential areas and the construction of new-style countryside, economic zones, industrial zones, and economic-defence zones in the border, sea, island areas in accordance with the building of defensive zones’ military posture. Emphasis should be placed on executing key projects on economic development combined with defence and security within localities, at sea, and along the border, such as Southeast economic zone, Lao Bao commercial-economic zone, La Lay international border gate, Khe Sanh economic-defence zone, fishing port facilities on Con Co and Cua Viet islands, and wind farm and solar energy projects. Importance should be attached to directing coastal localities to assist fishermen in investing in fishing vessels and aquaculture to both develop the province’s marine economy and protect national sovereignty over seas and islands. Besides, it is necessary to construct large-scale residential areas and create employments for ethnic minority people at the border, protect and develop forests, and build the traffic system for economic-defence task, particularly Cua Viet – Cua Tung and Hai An – Hai Khe coastal roads, border patrol roads, and roads to border guard posts. Due attention should be paid to establishing standing militia squads, building the coastal militia force, constructing key combat positions of the militia force at border communes, and mobilising resources to construct combat works within provincial and district-level defensive zones.

Giving presents to Heroic Vietnamese Mother Ho Thi Ta Lu in Dakrong

All-level military offices should give advice to party committees and authorities on state management of defence work, while closely reviewing, appraising, and supervising projects on socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation to ensure that economic development will also help increase defence-security potential within defensive zones. It is essential to formulate plans on socio-economic development for each period in tandem with projects on building defensive zones’ military posture. More importantly, plans and projects on socio-economic development, especially on industrial development, mineral exploration and exploitation, traffic system, health care, telecommunications, and electricity must be in line with defence-security consolidation and environmental protection. Grounded on the province’s master plan, it is necessary to gradually construct defensive positions, clusters of defensive positions, training zones for the reserve force, logistics-technical bases, combat bases, and rear bases, with a view to enhancing defensive zones’ posture. Projects on civil industry development in peacetime must be capable of manufacturing commodities for defence-security task within defensive zones in the event and meeting on-the-spot demands in natural disasters or wars.

Third, focus on building strong provincial armed forces with great synergy, professional competence, and combat readiness capacity. To successfully fulfil the task of protecting the Homeland and the province, party committees and commands of offices and units across the provincial armed forces should frequently carry out the work of propagation and education to build up cadres and soldiers’ political zeal and absolute loyalty to the Homeland, the Party, the State, and the people. Training work must be conducted in accordance with the particularities of each area, combat projects, each force’s organisational structure and equipment, and local budgets. Emphasis should be placed on improving commands and offices’ competence, working style, knowledge, and method of giving advice to local party committees and authorities on leadership over defensive zone operations, defensive zone exercises, and drills on storm, flood, and forest fire prevention and control as well as on search and rescue. Consideration should be given to training troops to master infantry combat skills and tactics at platoon, company, and battalion levels during independent operations and joint operations between forces within defensive zones.

Additionally, significance should be attached to building a high-quality, powerful reserve force, readily mobilising this force in the event, closely managing reservists and technical means, and dealing with a dearth of frame-B cadres and specialised reservists. Great weight should be added to building a “strong, extensive” militia and self-defence force with proper quantity and structure. As for border communes of strategic importance to defence and security, it is vital to continue maintaining standing militia squads (Huong Hoa district and Dakrong district), militia key positions along the border, and self-management teams at harbours, while due attention should be paid to organising the coastal militia force to build the posture of all-people national defence associated with the posture of people’s security and the posture of all-people border defence within defensive zones.

Col. NGUYEN HUU DAN, Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Board

Commander of the PMC