Over the past years, thoroughly grasping and seriously implementing resolutions and directions, made by the Party, State, Central Military Commission, and Ministry of National Defence, on the army and army rear policies, party committees and commanders at all levels have frequently implemented the work comprehensively and effectively, acquiring deep political and social significance. The military’s functional organs in cooperation with ministries, sectors, and localities counseled the Party and State to issue, amend and supplement a lot of documents regarding entitlements and policies for the army and its rear. For instance, the Ordinance on people with meritorious services to the revolution; amendments and supplementations to several articles of the Ordinance on conferring the State honour title “Vietnam Heroic Mother”; the Project on searching and gathering the remains of martyrs until 2020 and beyond; entitlements and policies for people engaged in resistance wars, wars to defend the Homeland, and international missions, entitlements and policies on the implementation of the guideline to modernize several services, arms, new forces, and forces performing their tasks in strategic areas of defence and security, remote and restricted areas, border areas, seas, and islands. Besides, they have regularly promoted the propagation work to raise awareness of the beneficiaries and the people, creating a high consensus on the Party and State’s guidelines and policies, and the country’s economic condition so that the work has opportunely implemented, closely supervised and inspected to reduce shortcomings and negativity especially at grass-roots levels. Leadership and implementation mechanism has been operated smoothly with the participation of the whole political system and all organizations and forces. Organs in charge of policy work in the military have proactively counseled and collaborated with committees and sectors at Central level, local party committees and authorities to conduct the work as the core force. The “Paying debts of gratitude” movement has been promoted and developed in both width and depth with various and effective ways, which demonstrates the great care of the Party, State, party committees and authorities at all levels; beautifying the comradeship, cultural feature of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, and the country’s traditional moral standard of “being grateful to our benefactors” who sacrificed their lives for the Homeland’s independence and freedom, for socialism, and for the people’s happiness.

Gifts presented to beneficiaries by representatives of the National Defence Ministry (photo: qdnd.vn)

As a result, in the past 5 years (2010-2015), the policy work has got significant results, making contribution to the material and spiritual life of cadres, soldiers, and beneficiaries, acting as a great incentive for the cause of building and protecting the Homeland. War invalid and martyr work has been attached special importance to by units in the military and nationwide localities; in detail, there have been 9,782 sets of martyr remains found and gathered; 596 martyrs identified; more than 6,000 people receiving entitlements of war invalids and diseased soldiers. Units in the military in collaboration with localities have continued to serve Vietnam Heroic Mothers; applying current entitlements and policies to cadres, soldiers in service and their families; effectively conducting the Program to build Gratitude Houses (6,650 ones built, exceeding 33% of the target). Moreover, there have been proactiveness and activeness in adopting entitlements and policies to people participating in resistance wars, wars to defend the Homeland, and international missions; recruiting and offering jobs to offspring of the invalids who have to stay at sanatoriums; meeting, presenting gifts to, and aiding policy subjects and Orange Agent victims with thousands of billion Vietnam Dong.

The cause of building the military and protecting the Homeland is now imposing higher requirements in policy for the army and army rear. Thus, we need to focus on the following points:

First, raising awareness and responsibility of party committees, commanders of organs and units in the implementation of policy work.

Second, continuing to study and counsel the Party and State to amend, supplement, issue, and perfect normative documents on entitlements and policies for the army and army rear to meet the requirements of the reality.

Third, strengthening leadership, direction, and management to promote synergy of organizations and forces for the better implementation of entitlements and policies for the army and army rear.

Fourth, frequently attaching great importance to building organs and cadres in charge of policy work so that they could satisfy the task’s requirements.

Fifth, enhancing inspection and supervision over the implementation of policies for the army and army rear.

Senior Lieutenant General Mai Quang Phan

Member of the Party Central Committee

Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army