Between 2015 and 2020, the work of defence and security education was closely, comprehensively, effectively led, directed, implemented and renewed with a lot of encouraging results by central committees, ministries, sectors, local party committees and authorities as well as heads of offices and organisations within the political system. Legal normative and guiding documents on defence and security education were issued sufficiently and synchronously as a legal corridor for the uniformed implementation process across the country. Defence and security education councils at all levels were consolidated; they adhered to the leadership from party committees and the direction from authorities and heads of offices and organisation. The advisory capacity of such councils’ standing agencies and members as well as cadres concurrently tasked with the defence work at central committees, ministries, and sectors was gradually improved. The provision of knowledge of defence and security for learners was seriously, actively conducted via various creative, effective approaches and methods. Groups of learners were expanded, while the quality was raised. The work of defence and security education for students was carried out in a synchronous, orderly manner at each level, with the good quality and effectiveness. Instructors and teachers of defence and security education were provided with refresher courses and gradually standardised under regulations. The work of spreading knowledge of defence and security for all people was enhanced and developed both widely and deeply in accordance with the particularities of each residential area. Doing so helped raise the awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members, and all people and made practical contributions to consolidating the all-people national defence and the posture of all-people national defence associated with the people’s security and the posture of people’s security, and especially building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds” right at grass-roots level.

Giving certificates of merit to individuals with outstanding achievements in defence and security education (photo: quocphongthudo.vn)

However, there were weaknesses in defence and security education over time. The effectiveness of several local defence and security education councils has yet to be increased. A number of members of such councils have yet to sufficiently promote their role and responsibility. The rate of defence and security education for cadres of the 3^rd and 4^th groups within some ministries and sectors was still low. Several colleges and universities have yet to comply with the regulations on linkage of defence and security education, while some others were allowed to implement the autonomy mechanism for this subject but failed to meet the requirements. The provision of funding for building defence and security education centres was still slow. The spread of knowledge of defence and security amongst the people has yet to be stimulated, particularly in the border, sea, island, remote, isolated areas and industrial zones.

In the upcoming years, the situation on a global and regional scale will continue to witness rapid, complex and unpredictable developments. Strategic competition, armed conflicts, terrorism, local wars, and disputes over territories, seas, and islands will be more intense. There will be an increase in non-traditional security challenges. Our people’s national construction and protection cause under the Party’s leadership has advantages but faces a lot of difficulties. The hostile forces will step up their “peaceful evolution” strategy and promote “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” with new cunning artifices to sabotage our Party and State and undermine the great national unity block. Meanwhile, the situation in the East Sea will be still complex. To meet the requirements of national construction and protection in the new period, central committees, ministries, sectors, military regions, and localities should synchronously, effectively carry out the work of defence and security education, with a focus on several tasks and measures as follows.

First, strengthen the leadership and direction of party committees, authorities, and head of organisations and offices over defence and security education. Central committees, ministries, sectors, military regions and localities should thoroughly grasp the Party’s directives and resolutions and the State’s law on defence and security education. Emphasis should be placed on the 10^th Politburo’s Directive 12-CT/TW, dated May 3^rd, 2007 on “enhancing the Party’s leadership over defence and security education in the new situation,” the Regulation 07/QĐ-BTCTW, dated April 16^th, 2008 by the Central Organisation Commission on cadres and party members’ standard knowledge of defence and security, the Defence and Security Education Law, and other legal normative documents as well as plans and guidance by the Central Defence and Security Education Council, ministries, central committees, and sectors to raise the awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members, and especially heads of organisations and offices towards this important task. Due attention should be paid to actively enhancing the leadership role of all-level party committees, the management capacity of authorities and heads of offices and organisations, and the participation of the whole political system. In the short term, it is necessary to consolidate the all-level defence and security education councils after the elections of deputies to the 15^th National Assembly and all-level people’s councils for the 2021-2026 tenure both qualitatively and quantitatively. At the same time, it is important to review and supplement such councils’ work regulations as the basis for them to well perform their function and task in the new period. Those councils’ members and standing agencies and military commands within ministries and central sectors should proactively advise localities and heads of offices and organisations on leadership and direction over defence and security education. In addition, it is essential to strengthen inspection and investigation of this work to draw lessons, overcome weaknesses and avoid assigning this work to specialised offices only.

Second, renew and improve the work of defence and security education for all groups of learners and the people. To that end, great value should be attached to reviewing and grasping groups of learners who will have to attend defence and security education courses after the all-level party congresses and the elections of deputies to the 15^th National Assembly and the all-level people’s councils for the 2021-2026 tenure to develop education plans for the whole tenure and each year. By the end of the tenure, all cadres and party members must be provided with defence and security education. At the same time, it is vital to equip religious dignitaries, heads of houses, and village patriarchs with knowledge of defence and security in accordance with local conditions and the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. Education plans for those people must be flexibly adjusted to both fulfil the contents and facilitate epidemic prevention and control.

Competent offices of the Ministry of National Defence (MND), the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) should continue directing universities and defence and security education centres to strictly abide by the Joint Circular 123/2015/TTLT-BQP-BGDĐT-BLĐTBXH, dated November 15^th, 2015 by the MND, the MoET, and the MOLISA as well as the MND’s Decision 2320/QĐ-BQP, dated July 25^th, 2020 on adjusting and supplementing the list of defence and security education connections. In the training process, it is necessary to raise the quality of the subject of defence and security education for students and closely manage the issuance of certificates of defence and security education under regulations. The Project on training instructors and teachers of defence and security education in the period of 2021-2025 and beyond should be developed and submitted to the Prime Minister for approval and execution to quickly standardise a contingent of instructors and teachers of defence and security education at all levels. Localities should actively renew and diversify the contents, forms, and methods of spreading knowledge of defence and security amongst all people, particularly in the border, sea, island, remote, isolated areas and industrial zones. In the process, it is essential to encourage the role of mass media, social networks and rapporteurs. Importance should be attached to including defence and security education in the country’s major events and local cultural, artistic, and traditional activities in accordance with each region’s particularities so as to contribute to raising the people’s awareness and responsibility for national construction and protection.

Third, continue renewing the contents, programmes, and textbooks of defence and security education in line with the development of reality. Competent offices of ministries and sectors should closely follow the MND’s Circular 172/2020/TT-BQP, dated December 30^th, 2020 on “promulgating the basic contents and programmes of defence and security education,” while working with one another to design, adjust, and supplement textbooks of defence and security education relevant to each group of learners and the country’s socio-economic development, defence and security. In this regard, due attention should be paid to updating new viewpoints, thoughts, and developments of the Party’s guidelines on defence, security, and national protection, particularly in the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, the Strategy for the Homeland Protection in the new situation, the Military Strategy, the National Security Strategy, the Strategy for the Homeland Protection in Cyberspace, the National Border Protection Strategy, the National Defence Law, the Law on the Militia and Self-Defence Force, and Law on the Reserve Force. At the same time, consideration should be given to completing and issuing textbooks in accordance with the subject of defence and security education within vocational schools, pedagogical colleges, universities, and high schools under the Circular 05/2020/TT-BGDĐT, dated March 18^th, 2020 and the Circular 46/2020/TT-BGDĐT, dated November 24^th, 2020 by the MoET. Central and local press agencies should adhere to the Circular 38/2017/TT-BTTTT, dated December 13^th, 2017 by the Ministry of Information and Communications on “giving instructions to press agencies on building the programme to spread knowledge of defence and security to all people” so that they could develop plans to propagate and disseminate the knowledge of defence and security to all citizens. Besides, they should continue educating the people on patriotism, national pride, and the relationship between the two strategic mission, while rendering all citizens fully aware of partners, opponents, and the hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” strategy and their plots to promote “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” in order to raise the awareness and responsibility of all people, particularly the youth towards national construction and protection and maintain their revolutionary vigilance against evil information on the Internet.

Fourth, ensure facilities and materials for defence and security education. Central committees, ministries, sectors, and localities should actively mobilise resources and provide sufficient materials defence and security education in the new situation. It is necessary to focus resources on training instructors and teachers of defence and security education to improve their qualifications. Due regard should be paid to building defence and security education centres according to the Prime Minister’s Decision 161/QĐ-TTg, dated January 30^th, 2015 on approving the system of defence and security education centres in the period of 2015-2020 and beyond and the Prime Minister’s Decision 1841/QĐ-TTg, dated November 18^th, 2020 on approving the system of defence and security education centres in the period of 2021-2030, with a vision towards 2050. Competent offices of ministries, sectors and localities should closely cooperate with one another in developing the national plan on the system of defence and security education centres in the period of 2021-2030, with a vision towards 2050. Defence and security education centres and colleges allowed to implement the autonomy mechanism for this subject should acquire more training equipment and upgrade their facilities, specialised classrooms, and training grounds. It is essential to effectively execute the Project on “converting and disabling the level-5 AK assault rifle, and acquiring shooting equipment for the subject of defence and security education,” and ensure sufficient uniforms for students. The MoET should cooperate with relevant ministries and sectors in designing and submitting the project on remission of tuition of the subject of defence and security education for students to the Government for approval.

Bringing into play the recorded results and experience, party committees, authorities, and heads of offices and organisations at all levels should continue grasping the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law to further raise the quality and effectiveness of defence and security education as the basis for consolidating the all-people national defence and the posture of all-people national defence associated with the people’s security, building defensive zones solidly, and firmly protecting our socialist Homeland in the new period.

Lt. Gen. NGO MINH TIEN, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, Deputy Head of the Central Defence and Security Education Council Standing Board