In recent years, due to the impacts of global climate change, natural disasters and incidents in our country have become increasingly severe, posing ever heavier requirements for disaster prevention and search and rescue operations. As the core force in this crucial frontline, the Military persists in thoroughly grasping and fully promoting its pioneering role of successfully performing “combat missions in peacetime”, thus enriching the traditions and noble essence of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new situation.

According to assessments from reputable international scientific organisations, Vietnam is one of the countries that has been experiencing the most severe impacts of global climate change. The impacts of climate change and natural disasters on our country are immense and unpredictable, significantly affecting the nation’s development as well as all areas of society. Recognising the importance of disaster prevention, consequence mitigation, and search and rescue, in recent years, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, particularly the General Staff, have proactively grasped the situation and effectively performed their advisory role for the Party and State. Besides, they have strengthened leadership, direction, and inspection and urged all units across the Military to actively participate in efficiently implementing this crucial task. Accordingly, in addition to effectively carrying out training and combat readiness to firmly protect the Homeland in all situations, the entire Military has demonstrated its pioneering role, closely coordinating with local party committees, authorities, and forces to timely and actively take measures for the prevention of natural disasters, catastrophes, and epidemics as well as search and rescue. Agencies and units have adhered to their tasks, proactively grasped and accurately forecasted the situation, carefully prepared in terms of forces and means, developed plans, and devised appropriate solutions tailored to local characteristics. They have also organised training, drills, and exercises for flood, storm, and forest fire prevention, search and rescue, and have strictly maintained standby regimes. The entire Military’s awareness, responsibility, and capacity to respond to incidents, disasters, emergencies, epidemics, and search and rescue have been enhanced. Through the implementation of “combat missions during peacetime”, several exemplary officers and soldiers have emerged, fearlessly risking their lives to save people and properties, thus significantly mitigating and alleviating the consequences of natural disasters, stabilising the situation and people’s lives. These efforts have earned trust and high praise from the Party, State, and people.

Military troops actively engage in disaster mitigation (Photo: qdnd.vn)

In the upcoming period, it is forecast that the situation regarding natural disasters and incidents will remain complicated. Following El Nino, there is a high likelihood of La Nina by the end of the year, potentially causing heavy rains and floods, especially in the central region, increasing the risk of flood, landslides, flash floods, and building collapses with increasingly significant scale, scope, and severity, thus adversely affecting economic development, people’s lives, and military and national defence tasks. Given this situation, it is required that the entire Military continue to maintain high vigilance, constantly grasp the situation, and maximise the sense of responsibility and the pivotal, proactive role in disaster prevention and search and rescue, determined to accomplish the “combat mission during peacetime” through various synchronised and appropriate measures. The focus should be on the key measures as follows:

1. Continuing to effectively perform the advisory role; enhancing the capacity to respond to incidents, natural disasters, catastrophes, and epidemics, and to conduct search and rescue operations. Agencies and units, particularly the Department of Search and Rescue, should promote their role as the Standing Agency, proactively coordinating research, assessment, and forecasting of situation. Based on these assessments, they should propose to the General Staff and the Ministry of National Defence to advise the Government, the Prime Minister, and the National Civil Defence Steering Committee to direct ministries, sectors, and localities in refining strategies and policies for socio-economic development in conjunction with the construction of infrastructure and response plans for different scenarios. Agencies and units should also monitor and urge central ministries and localities to implement the Government’s resolutions and directives, focusing on the Civil Defence Law (effective from July 1, 2024), the Action Plan for the National Civil Defence Strategy until 2030 and beyond, the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, the 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR 79 Convention) for the 2019 - 2025 period. Additionally, they should strengthen measures to enhance the search and rescue capacity in distant seas, thus facilitating fishermen to operate offshore, maintain their presence at sea, and assert the nation’s maritime sovereignty. Local military agencies should actively advise their respective party committees and authorities to uphold the “four on-spots” principle and actively raise the awareness and responsibility among the people regarding the task of responding to incidents, natural disasters, and catastrophes, and conducting search and rescue operations.

2. Strengthen political and ideological education, enhancing the awareness and responsibility of officers, soldiers, and the militia and self-defence force regarding disaster prevention and search and rescue. This is of paramount importance to elevate awareness and responsibility and unify thoughts and actions, creating motivation, willpower, and a high level of determination among the core forces in carrying out this crucial task. To achieve the set goals and requirements, party committees and commanders of agencies and units should take the lead in political and ideological education. Emphasis should be placed on disseminating and ensuring that military personnel firmly grasp legal regulations, resolutions, rules, and guidelines on disaster prevention and search and rescue issued by higher echelons. In terms of awareness, the entire Military should recognise that the prevention, response, and mitigation of natural disasters and search and rescue are vital, urgent, and regular tasks, standing among the “combat missions during peacetime”. Consequently, military personnel define clear motivations, attitudes, responsibilities, and determination in executing tasks, ensuring that the Military is always at the forefront and a reliable basis for party committees, authorities at all levels and the people, regardless of circumstances. Furthermore, they uphold the noble qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and the spirit of serving the people, resolutely combatting any manifestations of formality, subjectivity, and reluctance to face difficulties and hardships in task execution.

3. Innovating training and drills to continuously enhance the capacity to respond to natural disasters and catastrophes and carry out search and response of officers and soldiers. Practice shows that disasters and incidents are ever-present issues that may occur according to or outside predictable patterns, with varying forms, intensities, and natures, often unfolding unexpectedly and becoming increasingly extreme, potentially causing severe consequences. Therefore, enhancing the response and search and rescue capacity of different forces in all situations is a decisive factor. Agencies and units need to intensify innovation and improve the quality of training, instruction, and drills. Besides, they should enhance experience in organisation, management, skills, and procedures for handling incidents, natural disasters and search and rescue for forces. Special attention should be paid to building specialised and versatile forces, carrying out in-depth training, and improving the skills in operating and utilising modern search and rescue equipment. To achieve high efficiency, agencies and units should focus on developing plans, programmes, and training content that align closely with weather developments, disasters, and incidents specific to each area. Moreover, agencies and units should promote the application of science and technology and the modernisation of training models combining basic, comprehensive training with specialised training. Effective training in command, direction, coordination, and management of disaster response and search and rescue should be provided for different levels in the entire Military. Agencies and units, especially local military agencies, should regularly coordinate with the corresponding party committees and authorities to organise exercises and drills for disaster mitigation, forest fire fighting, and search and rescue. This aims to improve commanders’ command and management capacity of commanders and enhance the coordination and collaboration of the forces in handling complicated situations.

In addition, agencies and units need to play a pivotal role in conducting training, retraining, and instruction in search and rescue operations for ministries, sectors, and localities. They also need to enhance the capacity for prevention, response, and recovery from incidents, natural disasters, catastrophes, epidemics, and search and rescue for the community. This effort contributes to minimising damage and protecting the lives and properties of the State. Meanwhile, international cooperation in responding to incidents, natural disasters, catastrophes, and epidemics and carrying out search and rescue operations, with a focus on improving the effectiveness of cooperation in search and rescue training, humanitarian support, experience exchange, and information sharing should be intensified. Such international cooperation aims to elevate the professional expertise needed to timely and effectively handle situations.

4. Proactively coordinating with other forces to effectively implement the “four on-spots” principle in disaster prevention and search and rescue. Agencies and units must strictly maintain regularity and combat readiness, especially during the peak rainy and stormy seasons. Besides, they must regularly monitor, forecast, and promptly update the developments of natural disasters. They must also prepare plans, solutions, forces, means, materials, and all necessary provisions to be ready for a timely and effective response to any situation. Military regions should direct the provincial and municipal military commands to assist local party committees and authorities in developing plans, refining the organisational structure, and updating functions and tasks. In particular, as the 2024 rainy season has begun, units need to proactively coordinate with local agencies and units to collaborate with local party committees, authorities, and relevant forces to inspect vulnerable areas at risk of incidents and disasters. They must also review, supplement, and adjust plans, assign specific tasks among forces, and proactively relocate households in high-risk areas to safe locations. In the immediate future, units should proactively assist localities in the South to overcome drought, saltwater intrusion, and forest fires, as well as stabilise people’s lives.

Regarding leadership and direction, party committees and commanders at all levels need to calculate meticulously and scientifically, from planning and organising coordination to assigning specific tasks to each force stationed in each locality and area, hence ensuring safety for personnel and equipment during task execution. Party committees need to coordinate with all levels, sectors, and forces involved in the mission in the area, as well as with local party committees and authorities. Moreover, they should effectively implement the mechanism for direction and management in responding to incidents, natural disasters, catastrophes, and epidemics and carrying out search and rescue operations. Agencies and units need to conduct thorough reviews and summaries, draw lessons from experience, clearly identify measures to overcome limitations and shortcomings, and timely reward collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in responding to incidents and natural disasters and carrying out search and rescue. This process aims to gradually improve the effectiveness of disaster and incident response and search and rescue operations.

Promoting the noble essence and traditions of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and building on the experiences and achievements attained, the entire Army should further leverage their sense of responsibility, taking on a pioneering role alongside other forces and local party committees and authorities the task of prevention, response, and recovery from incidents, natural disasters, and catastrophes, as well as conducting research and rescue operations. This effort contributes to the successful accomplishment of the mission of nation-building and protection in the new situation.

Lieutenant General NGUYEN TRONG BINH, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army