Within its role and mission, the armed forces of Soc Trang province have promoted their core role in building the strong all people’s defense, contributing to maintaining political stability, social safety and order and creating favorable environment for the province’s fast and sustainable economic development.

Soc Trang province is located at the centre of Mekong Delta which is an important location in the defensive posture of the MR9. Over the past years, Soc Trang has become a spotlight in socio-economic development and defense and security consolidation. Its set-out criteria for investment and business environment, socio-economic development have all been met and exceeded plans. Its economic growth for 2018 and the first half of 2019 are estimated at 7.2%. The political security, social safety and order are maintained stable. People’s living standards and social security, especially those in remote and far-flung areas, are increasingly improved. However, knowledge levels of ethnic minorities are still low. There remain still latent sources of social instability, especially the illegal operation of some religions. Taking use of the situation, hostile forces usually conduct their acts of sabotage with cunning tricks. Therefore, building a strong all people’s defense in the province is both an important short term requirement and a fundamental long term matter.

Thoroughly grasping the Party’s guidelines and viewpoints, the State’s policies and laws and resolutions and directives of upper levels on defense and military work, the Provincial Military Committee and Command have proposed to the Provincial Party Executive Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee many guidelines, solutions for leading, directing the implementation of the local defense and military tasks in line with reality and the task’s requirements. Annually, military agencies at all levels give advice to the corresponding party committees and authorities on the promulgation of the resolutions and directives on the accomplishment of defense and security tasks with concrete goals and plans of action in the building of forces, posture and potentials in which socio-economic development is combined with defense and security consolidation. Attention is paid to the perfection of mechanism, regulations and the specification of legal documents relating to the fields of defense, militia and self-defense forces, military conscription, etc to make it relevant to the province’s reality. It has also regularly grasped the situation, coordinated with forces, particularly the Border Guards and the Public Security forces in studying, evaluating and anticipating the situation to give advice to the province’s leaders on the guidelines and settlements to deal with defense and security matters. Besides, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command have also assessed and advised the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee on the approval of socio-economic projects in the locality.  At the same time, it has supervised the implementation of the projects to timely make proposals, adjustments, supplements to meet defense and security requirements so that all operations of localities can be changed quickly from peace time to war time and resources can be quickly deployed for combat missions of defensive zone. The Provincial Military Command has advised the Provincial People’s Committee in assessing the Wonderland Eco-tourist, Trade and Service Project in the Vinh Chau town and the wind power projects in the districts of Cu Lao Dung, Tran De and Vinh Chau town; the plan of system of ports, harbors, internal water lanes which are targeted at transporting goods and passengers in serve for socio-economic development and defense mission.

Military potential is the core factor which is decisive to the quality of the all people’s defense. Being fully aware of this, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command have focused on leading and directing the building of the provincial armed forces to make it politically, ideologically and organizationally strong with high capability and combat readiness level. Accordingly, organs and units restructure their organization towards the “lean, compact and powerful” direction; in particular, priority has been given to ensuring the full staff of units conducting combat readiness mission, and units stationing in sea border direction and in focal areas in defense and security. The permanent forces are being built towards “revolutionary, regular, seasoned and increasingly modern” direction. The contents, programs and methods of training are regularly renewed and supplemented with new contents to make it relevant with the specific features of a sea border and watery province. Attention has been paid to the quality improvement of defensive zone exercises, natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue. Importance has been attached to building military organs at all levels comprehensively strong; contents and methods of leading and directing, working style have also been renovated; administrative reforms have been accelerated. The militia and self-defense forces are built in accordance with the guideline of “strong and widespread” with appropriate structure and components suitable with each locality and in light of the Project on building the militia and self-defense forces for the 2016 – 2020 period and beyond. When it comes to the reserve force, the Provincial Military Command has directed its affiliated organs and units to screen and grasp the changes in the number of the reserve for better management and training, ensuring the short term and long term reserves. The province has managed to ensure 99.88% of the needed strength, ready for mobilization in any situations which is highly appreciated by the Ministry of National Defense and the MR9. Basing on the regulations for force organization and development, units always strictly adhere to training and combat readiness mechanism. Especially, in the defensive zone exercises, military organs at all levels have performed well their core roles in advising the local party committees and authorities to lead, direct forces involving in the exercises. In 2018, the Provincial Military Command proposed to the provincial leaders to direct the defensive exercises in the city of Soc Trang and Vinh Chau town, and direct military commands of the remaining district to conduct one-side, one-level command exercises, yielding good results, contributing to enhancing the level and capability of combat readiness of the provincial armed forces.

The Provincial Military Command has advised to the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee in leading and directing the promotion of the strength of the great unity bloc to build the “people’s heart and mind posture”. To that end, it has coordinated with the Provincial Propagation Commission, the Provincial Organizational Commission in advising the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to promulgate documents on leading and directing the defense and security education work in the province. It has promoted its role as a permanent office helping the Provincial Defense and Security Council finalize its operating regulations; screen and classify objects of education and build plans for actions for each year to suit requirements and mission. In 2018, the province opened 71 courses for 99.6% of the needed learners; coordinated with the Provincial Department of education and training to direct the defense and security education for students in university, colleges and high schools. At the same time, it directed the Provincial Military School and localities to renew contents, programs and methods of education for ship owners, religious dignitaries and the remaining objects as assigned. During the implementation, the province paid attention to equipping its cadres with needed knowledge so that they are capable to lead, direct and organize their defense and security tasks in their area of operation. In addition, the Provincial Military Command has also directed its affiliated units to strengthen the work of mass mobilization; assist local party committees and authority to consolidate the grassroots political systems; develop cadre staff and party members; participate in hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, building new style countryside; conduct “Paying good gratitude” activities; assist people in controlling and preventing natural calamities, search and rescue, etc. These activities have contributed to strengthening the military – civilian solidarity, sharpening the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldier”, building “people’s heart and mind posture”, and mobilizing the strength from the entire political system for defense and security missions in the localities.

Facing the increasingly high requirements of the mission of national defense, Soc Trang armed forces continue to promote its core role in advising the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee to lead and direct the building of the all people’s defense and the all people’s defense posture associated with the people’s security increasingly strong which is a favorable condition for the province to carry out socio-economic development, defense and security consolidation, and, together with the whole country, fulfill the mission of national construction and defense.

Senior Colonel Tran Van Lau, Member of the Standing Office of the Provincial Party Committee, Chief of the Provincial Military Command