Building of the reserve forces has recorded vital achievements, contributing to the building of a strong all-people’s national defence over the past few years. However, given requirements and missions in the new era, it is necessary to strengthen direction in this field, in line with the Party and State’s guidelines and policies on national defence, to fulfill successfully two strategic tasks, namely building and defence of the Fatherland.
Vietnam’s 2013 Constitution stipulates that “The State shall build a revolutionary, regular, elite and increasingly modernized People’s Army, which has an appropriate permanent force, large and powerful reserve forces, and a strong and extensive militia and self-defence force, and as a core for performing national defence tasks. The Law on National Defence 2005 stipulates that the People’s Army “consists of permanent force and reserve forces”.
The international situation has witnessed unforeseen complex developments recently. The task of defending the Fatherland is faced with both advantages and challenges. The hostile forces speed up their acts of sabotage. Against such a backdrop, the whole Party, people and Army have put in a great deal of effort to firmly preserve political stability and a peaceful environment conducive to the building of the nation, firm defence of independence, sovereignty, unification, territorial integrity, and national interests, and protection of the Party, State, people, and socialism. Economic capabilities, prestige and position of our country have been increasingly high. The all-people’s national defence and people’s security have been strengthened. Defence and security capabilities have been improved. There have been positive evolutions in perception and responsibilities of cadres at various levels, industries, and of the whole people in the performance of military and defence tasks. Synthesized quality of the armed forces has been enhanced. The all-people’s defence posture attached with the people’s security posture has been gradually improved. Attention has been paid to the development of the reserve forces, thus bringing about vital results. This is a great achievement that contributes to fulfilling military and defence tasks successfully.
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| Lt Gen Phan Van Giang addressing at a MOD's conference on 20 years of implementing Order on the Reserves |
Given the leadership and guidance of Party executive committees and authorities and the sound advice of military bodies at various levels, units have conducted proper propagation and increased public awareness of Decree-Law on Reserve Forces and applied and implemented it in a serious and effective manner. Due to close and synchronous leadership and guidance of Party executive committees; enhanced State management of defence; a positive change in perception, role and responsibility of cadres at different levels and industries; and mobilization of synthesized strength of levels, committees, industries, unions, and the whole people, military and defence work at local levels has gained comprehensive results, including the building of the reserve forces. The registration and management are realized to monitor strictly the reserve source at various levels, especially at district and communal levels. There are many measures to create source for the reserve forces. Plans to develop, mobilize and receive the reserve forces are devised in a unified manner at levels. The whole Army has organized sufficient units to man the reserve forces. The annual training and war games to evaluate the reserve forces have met desired requirements and basically reached scheduled targets, making practical contributions to making the armed forces in general and the reserve forces in particular increasingly powerful, meeting requirements of building and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new era.
Nevertheless, beside the aforementioned achievements, development of the reserve forces in several localities and units has shown certain limitations such as inappropriate attention paid to the proliferation and propagation of Decree-Law on Reserve Forces; ineffective registration and control of technical equipment; irregular management of reserve forces in localities and military units; and untimely tracking of changes in the reservists. Coordination between localities that provide manpower and military units in training reserve commanding officers, noncommissioned officers and technicians remains limited. There have not been any overall plans to adjust training needs and targets. There remains a lack of infrastructure, equipment and logistics support for mobilization task.
In the forthcoming years, there are both advantages and challenges in the task of defending the Fatherland. Therefore, building of the reserve forces in the new era demands that ministries and industries from Central to grassroots levels should carry out many synchronous measures as follows:
1. To continue to perceive and realize effectively the Party’s directions and resolutions and legal normative documents regarding the building of the reserve forces. First of all, Party executive committees and leaders at various levels continue to instruct and direct the building of the reserve forces in accordance with the Secretariat’s directions and conclusions as well as the Central Military Commission’s instructions and action program on the building of the reserve forces in the new era. During the implementation phase, it is necessary to study and apply those instructions in a flexible and creative manner, in line with characteristics and conditions of each locality or unit.
2. To promote the leadership and direction of Party executive committees and authorities at various levels and Party executive committees and commanders of military units on this vital task. It is necessary to consider the building of the reserve forces as a regular important task, which must be placed under the direct leadership of Party executive committees and the management of authorities, bringing into play the strength of the whole political system, industries, unions, and the whole people as well as military bodies’ central role in providing counseling to local authorities.
3. To grasp thoroughly and implement strictly each level’s resolutions on annual military and defence tasks. In terms of leadership and management, priority should be given to development of system of plans, realization of plans, inspection and evaluation of results, and timely repair of shortcomings and limitations. Attention should be paid to investment in infrastructure for implementing military and defence tasks. There is a need to prepare every necessary condition for mobilizing and receiving the reserve forces once demanded. It is vital to consolidate organization and build comprehensively strong permanent-framed units, in line with new situation and in association with the transformation of the Vietnamese People’ Army for the 2021s and beyond.
4. To strengthen guidance for localities, offices and units on the development of reserve units according to Decree-Law on Reserve Forces, first and foremost ensuring sufficient number of assigned reservists; strict management, education and training; high combat capabilities; and fully prepared for reinforcing the permanent force on very short notice with the utmost secrecy and safety. Reserve units should be developed in conformity with the Determination to safeguard the Fatherland and operate according to assigned theaters of war and defence zones. The building of reserve forces should be in accordance with the number, quality and capability to generate reserve source in each locality. The building of reserve forces must be attached to the building of strong defence zones as well as the consolidation of national defence, security, socioeconomic development, and the all-people’s defence posture.
5. To direct localities, offices and units to renovate content, programs, methods, and time frame allocated for training reserve officers and enlisted men and reserve units, most notably Frame-B officers from section commanders, battery commanders or equivalent. Training programs and content must be standardized gradually in a “basic, practical, effective” direction. High priority should be given to funding the construction of barracks and training ranges reserved for permanent framed-units, military organs at provincial and district levels, units responsible for managing and training the reserve forces, military regions, army corps, services, arms, and the Border Guard. It is necessary to intensify inspection of readiness for mobilization, training and exercises from battalion to regimental levels.
6. To lead and direct political organs and officers to perform strictly Party and political work regarding the building and mobilization of reserve forces; staff leadership and command positions in reserve units; put more effort into making permanent framed-units and reserve units strong politically, ideologically and organizationally to ensure their wholehearted loyalty to the Party, Fatherland and people and their leading role in protecting the Party, authorities and people in any circumstance; and realize policies regarding military families well. Leaders and commanders at various levels continue to comply strictly with regulations governing political education and carry out effectively the project of “Renewal of political education in military units in a new stage.” It is necessary to build untarnished and strong Party executive committees and Party organizations; regularly strengthen, staff and bring into play the leadership of Party executive committees at various levels; firmly preserve the principle of collective leadership, individual responsibility; renovate and improve operational quality to suit the type of Party organizations in permanent framed-units; implement the motto of establishing Party cells in reserve companies, Party executive committee in reserve battalions. During annual concentrated training, all reserve units set up temporary party organizations, youth unions and organizations of the popular masses to carry out activities according to regulations. Cadre planning in both permanent framed-units and reserve ones follows established procedures, in line with units’ structure, staff and missions. Organizations of the popular masses and military personnel in permanent framed-units are regularly staffed; perform correct functions and missions; and observe democratic rules at grassroots levels. It is necessary to increase officers and soldiers’ awareness of the role, position and significance of public relations, security protection, policies regarding military families; actively propagandize and encourage people to follow the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and law; prevent and defeat the hostile forces’ sabotage plots; assist people in economic development, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, and disaster prevention and relief.
7. To continue to direct localities and military units to carry out logistics, medical and financial support accurately. System of logistics support plans for the building, mobilization and reception of the reserve forces must be supplemented and perfected regularly. It is vital to provide adequate, timely and increasingly better logistics support services to the reserve participating in concentrated training and exercise, especially in terms of portions, uniform and accommodation; control fuel limits strictly; and combine units’ vehicles and the mobilized and hired ones to transport military personnel and logistics, ensuring the building, inspection, training and evaluation of the reserve forces according to regulations and safely. The reservists undertake medical examination as regulated by law.
8. To strengthen guidance in technological support for the building and mobilization of the reserve forces. On the basis of the organization and staffing in technological industry, Party executive committees, commanders and technological divisions seek to ensure adequate support in terms of quantity and quality and weapons and equipment synchronization for units and localities responsible for training and exercise of the reserve forces. It is necessary to implement and follow strictly technological order and discipline so as to ensure technological coefficients of each type of weapons and equipment; control weapons, technological equipment and ammunition strictly; receive and distribute weapons and equipment to the right people; perform maintenance and overhaul as regulated; and strengthen the inspection of mobilization and combat readiness, training and exercise of reserve units./.
Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang
Member of the 12th Party Central Committee
Chief of General Staff, Deputy Minister of National Defence