Personnel and staffing work play a special role in the revolutionary cause of the Party. Therefore, as the Party Committee and High Command of the 5^th Military Region have always paid attention to leading and directing the implementation of the staffing work and building up the staff, important achievements have been obtained, which are considered as the core of building the Region’s armed forces  comprehensively strong to successfully completed all tasks.

On the basis of thoroughly grasping the viewpoints and policies of the Party and the State, directly the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defene on staffing work, and the development of  the military staff in the new period, the Standing Party Committee and the High Command of the 5^th Military Region have concretized and directed the subordinate Party committees and organizations to make resolutions and action programs at each level to ensure the suitability with each agency and unit. So far, 100% of its agencies and units have launched resolutions and action programs to implement the Party's resolutions and directives on the staffing work. Particularly, the Region’s Standing Party Committee has deployed new policies and practical solutions in building up the staff such as promulgating the regulations on funding for postgraduate training of the Region’s cadres, effectively coordinating with localities in reservist training under local budgets, and directly consulting the standing committees of the provincial (municipal) party committees on staffing and Party building, etc.

At the same time, it has concentrated on renovating the contents, forms, and measures to implement the staffing work and build up  the armed-forced staff with reasonable quantity, synchronous structure, and comprehensive quality. Up to now, the regular force basically has a balanced, synchronous, and rational staff structure. The percentage of officers,  party-members, ethnics and local people in the total number of cadres has been increased to meet the staffing demand, especially that of the grassroots level. The quality of the staff has been improved with sufficient qualities and capacities to meet the requirements of the tasks. For the reservists, emphasis has been placed on increasing the number in parallel with improving the quality. Annually, training and rehearsals are alternately organized so that the reservists’ management, commanding, and direction capacities are improved to meet the requirements of local military and defense tasks at the grassroots level.

Lt. Gen. Tran Quang Phuong addressing at a cadre assigning ceremony in 2016

Currently, besides the basic advantages, the Region is also encountering several difficulties in the staffing work. At the same time, the cause of national defense in the new era poses increasingly high requirements on the quality and capacity of the military staff in general and the armed forces of the 5^th Military Region in particular.

Facing such situation and thoroughly grasping the viewpoints of the Party and those of the Central Military Commission, especially the Resolution No.769-NQ/QUTW dated 21/12/2012 of the Central Military Commission on "Building the military staff in the 2013 - 2020 period and beyond" the Standing Party Committee and the High Command of the Region have determined that, in the coming time, focus will be placed on building up cadres with political steadfastness, absolute loyalty to the Party, the Motherland, and the people, High revolutionary morals, self-discipline, appropriate expertise, comprehensive capability, good health and suitable ages. The staff will be suitably composed to ensure a steady transition between generations of cadres and keep pace with the development of duties, staffing, and weapons in the new period. Accordingly, the Region will focus on implementing a number of contents and solutions as follows:

Firstly, strengthening education and briefing to make positive changes in the awareness and responsibility of organizations and forces, especially party committees and organizations, leading officers, political offices, and personnel departments at all levels about staff work. Raising awareness not only focuses on overcoming cognitive deficiencies in positions, roles, and meanings of staff work but also aims at enhancing political accountability and making a strong, deep, and synchronous change among leaders, commanders, and functional agencies at all levels for the development of staff. Cognitive outcomes should be transformed into practical actions and work in agencies and units, etc.

Secondly, strictly adhering to the regulations, processes, and principles in staffing work, especially the principle of democratic centralism and party committees’ unanimously leading the staffing work and management of the staff in their authority. Focus will be placed on thoroughly understanding and strictly following the regulations of the Central Military Commission on the competence to approve, plan and appoint commanding officers and managers in the Vietnam People's Army.

Thirdly, focusing on restructuring and improving the quality of the staff according to the requirements of political tasks of the Region to ensure sufficient number, and suitable, synchronous, and good quality. Better implement the tasks of cadre deployment and rotation. Give advise and propose to the Party Committees and People's Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities plans to allocate a portion of local budget for reservist training at local military schools.

Fourthly, implementing the work of planning, management, and deployment of cadres in combination with offering favourable policies;  improve material and spiritual life of cadres in order to keep and attract cadres. It is essential to effectively implement the current regimes and policies of the Party and the State for the military officers. Study and propose plans for developing accomodation for cadres. Commanders of local armed forces and units should take the initiative in advising and proposing to the local Party Committees and authorities to develop housing projects for officers in appropriate forms.

Finally, bringing into play the combined strength, and upholding the accountability of organizations and forces in the development of staff. It is necessary to promote the leadership role of the party committees and the accountability of the party secretaries, political commissars, and commanders at all levels, especially for the strict observance of regulations and principles in the staffing work. At the same time, the staff building will be closely linked with party building. In addition, it is necessary to promote the role of the political agencies, especially personnel divisions, in advising and proposing to the Party committees on issues related to the staffing work and staff building. Good implementation of the above contents and measures will contribute to building the 5^th Military Region’s  strong armed-force staff to meet the requirements of the new situation.

Lieutenant General TRAN QUANG PHUONG, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, and Political Commissar of the 5^th Military Region