The ideological work always plays an important role in bolstering military officers and soldiers’ qualities, capacity, and political zeal, contributing to building comprehensively strong offices and units as well as firmly maintaining and enhancing the Party’s absolute, direct leadership over the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA). To meet the requirements for building the VPA and defending the Homeland in the new situation, all-level party committees and commands within the VPA should further improve the quality and effectiveness of this work.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Trong Nghia addressing the conference to review the 5-year implementation of the Project “Renewing political education in military units in the new period” (2013-2018) (photo: qdnd.vn)

Over the past years, the ideological work within the VPA has been closely led and directed and well carried out with various creative forms and measures in accordance with each group of troops, ensuring that this work has always been one step ahead; party committees and commands of offices and units have promoted the synergy of organizations and forces in the process and closely combined this work with the policy, organizational work. The work of political education and particularly the implementation of the Project on “renewing political education in units in the new period” have gained good results. There have been many reforms in training contents and methods as well as facilities. Due regard has been paid to educating the Party’s guidelines, the State’s law and policy, traditions of the nation and VPA, and virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers; identifying “partners” and “opponents”; fighting against wrong viewpoints; foiling the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy and their tricks of enhancing “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within as well as “depoliticizing” and “civilizing” the VPA. The work of propagation, culture, and art has been oriented, stayed close to and opportunely served the political missions of the country and the VPA, and better met troops’ cultural and spiritual life. The Determined to Win emulation movement and the Campaign “promote tradition, devote talent, deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in line with the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW on studying and following Uncle Ho’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle as well as movements and campaigns launched by organizations and sectors have been organized closely while the work of commending, building, and multiplying typical examples has been successfully carried out.

As a result, under no circumstance, officers and soldiers have been steadfast in standpoint, highly responsible, creative, united, and ready to undertake and successful fulfil all assigned tasks. The ideological work has contributed to safeguarding the Party’s ideological background within the VPA, building a revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern VPA, promoting the revolutionary nature and tradition of Uncle Ho’s soldiers, strengthening the VPA’s close-kit bond with the people, and making the VPA deserve to be an absolutely loyal, reliable political and fighting force of the Party, State and people.

However, some party committees, political commissars and commanders have yet to fully understand the role and importance of the ideological work. The effectiveness of ideological education has been still limited. Forms and methods of the ideological work have yet to stay close to the situation and troops’ ideological developments; therefore, there have been serious violations of discipline. The management of information provision and troops’ use of the Internet and social networks in some military units has yet to be close.

In the foreseeable future, the situation worldwide and regionally will continue to be complex and unpredictable. Globalization trend and the 4^th industrial revolution have been giving countries in the world, including Vietnam, chances for development and posing new challenges. The strategic competition between major powers will be very intense while non-traditional security threats will increase. The unity among ASEAN member states is impacted by several major powers for their own benefit. The situation in the East Sea is complex. Domestically, our political security is firmly maintained while our economy develops rather quickly; however, we have to face a lot of difficulties and challenges. The hostile forces make best use of globalization, international integration, and development of technology and social networks to step up their “peaceful evolution” strategy and tricks of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” as well as encourage “depoliticization” and “civilization” of the VPA in a more intense, public, frontal manner; they take advantage of the issues on ethnicity, religion, democracy, human rights, and territory as well as unresolved new issues to sabotage our revolution.

To meet the requirements for the Homeland protection in the new situation, execute the Party and State’s resolutions and key projects on military-defence and Homeland protection missions, adjust the VPA’s structure, restructure and rearrange military-run enterprises, there should be a sense of unity in both awareness and action among each cadre, soldier, office and unit within the VPA. Meanwhile, the majority of cadres and soldiers, particularly new recruits in units are young and lack hands-on experiences. Thus, to further raise the quality and effectiveness of the ideological work, offices and units should take the measures as follows.

First, continuing to enhance the leadership and direction of party committees and organizations over the ideological work. This is a top measure of party committees and organizations, which is aimed at ensuring that the ideological work is always in line with the Party’s guidelines and plays a vanguard role in orienting cadres and soldiers’ awareness and action. Thus, all-level party committees and organizations, particularly key cadres, secretaries, commissars and commands should grasp the guidelines, viewpoints, resolutions, directives, and guidance by the Party, the Central Military Commission (CMC), and the General Department of Politics on the ideological work, while staying close to units’ task and troops’ training and combat readiness missions to adopt measures for proper, close leadership and direction, raise the quality and effectiveness of the ideological work, overcome weaknesses, and avoid letting the unexpected situations occur within offices and units. All-level political offices should promote their role in counselling and directing the performance of this work, bring into play the synergy of forces and organizations, and fight against formalism, oversimplification or complete assignment of this work to political cadres only.

Second, raising the quality of political, traditional education for troops. Based on the results of the Project “renewing political education in military units in the new period”, offices and units should continue improving the quality and effectiveness of political education, with importance attached to renewing the organization of training courses on the Party’s resolutions and directives and bolstering political orientation, combativeness and forcefulness in each lecture. It is essential to make cadres and soldiers fully aware of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, the Party’s guidelines, the State’s law and policy, new thoughts on the Homeland defence, their units’ task, the hostile forces’ nature, plots, and artifices as well as the Vietnamese revolution’s partners and objects of struggle. Besides, units should further disseminate the fine traditions of the country, Party, and VPA, typical examples of revolutionary heroism during the struggle for national liberation and typical examples in today’s cause of building the VPA and defending the Homeland to troops, thereby arousing each cadre and soldier’s pride in the glorious Party, great Uncle Ho, and the heroic VPA, giving an impetus to the successful fulfilment of all assigned tasks.

To carry out political education and bolster troops’ qualities in the current period, it is an inevitable demand that offices and units should continue to grasp and well execute the Guidance 202/HD-CT, dated March 2^nd 2015, by the General Department of Politics on deserving to be “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period. At the same time, competent offices should continue to undertake researches and propose specific measures to build up the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new situation with the typical features, including political qualities, ethics, culture, discipline, knowledge, and military ability, thereby making the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” widespread throughout the society. During the process of education, it is necessary to clarify troops’ noble combat ideal, absolute loyalty to the Party, Homeland and people, determination to fight, determination to win, will to overcome hardships, their courage, wisdom and creativity in combat and work, comradeship, close-knit bond with the people as well as their strict self-discipline. Under no circumstance, cadres and soldiers must clearly demonstrate their political zeal against the hostile forces’ sabotage and the impacts made by social evils while always training and cultivating themselves under noble values and fighting against selfish, merciless lifestyle.

Third, frequently renewing forms and methods of the ideological work in the troop management. To do so, all-level party committees and commands, particularly political cadres should actively, creatively, flexibly employ forms and methods for performing the ideological work in accordance with troops’ particularities and capacity. At the same time, they should grasp and closely adopt the procedures for grasping, managing, predicting, and settling the ideological issues right at grass-roots level, carefully study and employ the document entitled “100 possible ideological situations in military units and remedial measures to be taken by grass-roots cadres”. It is important to closely combine the ideological work with the policy, organizational work, ensure troops’ material and mental life, and promote the synergy of organizations and forces in the ideological work. In addition, it is vital to step up the Determined to Win emulation movement and other movements and campaigns launched by organizations and sectors; to combine the movement “Building fine, healthy, diverse military cultural environment” with the movement “All people unite in building new-style rural areas and civilized urban areas”; to well organize cultural, sports, exchange programs, contests, models, and clubs to create a healthy environment for cadres and soldier’s study, work and self-improvement.

During the process of carrying out the ideological work, it is important to value democracy and fight against all signs of arbitrariness, administrative order, and imposition. The ideological work in the troop management must be conducted frequently, continuously, with a focus on sensitive moments, such as the country’s significant events, national holidays, days off, and rest hours to take proper measures for conducting the ideological work, thereby preventing discipline violations. When an incident occcurs, it is essential to find out the reasons, completely settle it under the regulations, and strictly draw lessons.

Fourth, combating wrong viewpoints, contributing to defending the Party’s ideological base within the VPA. This is an important part of today’s ideological work.  To do so, all-level commands should grasp and well execute the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution 35-NQ/TW on further defending the Party’s ideological base, fighting against wrong, hostile viewpoints in the new situation, the CMC Standing Committee’s Directive 823-CT/QUTW, dated September 19^th 2017 on enhancing the leadership and direction over “peaceful evolution” prevention and combat in the VPA’s ideological, cultural field. They should proactively clarify the nature of the hostile forces’ wrong viewpoints and improve cadres and soldiers’ “immunity” against evil information. Doing so will create a sense of unity within the VPA, contribute to defending and developing Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, the Party’s guidelines, and the State’s law and policy as well as foil the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” and their tricks of “civilizing” the VPA and separating the Party, State and VPA from the people.

In the process, it is vital to closely combine “building” with “fighting”; the former must be the main task while “fighting” should be active and effective. To that end, it is necessary to proactively provide information for cadres and soldiers and opportunely orient their thought against complex, sensitive issues; to further propagate and multiply “good people, good deed” examples in order to bring about the widespread positive effect within each unit and the whole VPA; to abide by the regulations on speech and provision of information for the press and educate cadres and soldiers to conform with the regulations on using the Internet and taking part in social networks. Regarding “fighting”, it is necessary to actively promote the synergy of forces, organizations, means, and particularly the core force within units and press agencies as well as apply science and technology and implement technical measures for improving the effectiveness of fighting against wrong, hostile viewpoints on the Internet and social networks.

Fifth, heightening the exemplary role of cadres and party members. All-level cadres’ role model setting in both words and action represents a highly convincing order for troops and makes them love their units, keep their mind on their work, and trust in cadres and commands at all levels. Thus, cadres and party members must grasp and well implement the regulations on role model setting, particularly the Regulation 08-QĐi/TW by the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 8^th Plenum on the role model-setting responsibility of cadres and party members, particularly members of the Politburo, Secretariat, and Party Central Committee, the Regulation 646-QĐ/QUTW on the role model-setting responsibility of cadres and party members, particularly leaders, commanders, and managerial cadres within the VPA. At the same time, they should be strictly committed to self-improving under the Resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 4^th Plenum on the Party building and rectification, building democratic, scientific working method and pure, healthy, thrift, honest, righteous, selfless lifestyle, having no signs of degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle as well as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, thereby becoming “both red and expert” cadres and party members and good examples for soldiers to follow.

Besides, all-level cadres must heighten their 4-with responsibility (having meals with, living with, working with, sharing with soldiers), particularly for new recruits, resolutely fight against impatience, subjectivity, and violations of soldiers’ moral standards, and cooperate with soldiers’ families and local authorities in making them keep their mind on their work and mission.

To meet the requirements for the Homeland protection in the new situation, all-level party committees and commands should attach greater importance to leading and directing the ideological work, creating a sense of unity in both awareness and action, contributing to making the VPA strong politically as the basis for raising its synergy and combat strength, making itself capable of all tasks assigned by the Party, State and people.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Trong Nghia, Member of the Party Central Committee

Member of the CMC, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics, the VPA