2021 was the first year for the whole country’s execution of the 13th National Party Congress Resolution and for the whole Military’s implementation of the 11th Military Party Congress Resolution amidst the complex developments of the situation on a global and regional scale. Domestically, our country’s position, strength, synergy, and international prestige have been increasingly consolidated as an important prerequisite for the Homeland construction and protection. However, Vietnam was confronted with a lot of difficulties and challenges, while hostile forces stepped up their sabotage strategy. Natural disasters and epidemics, particularly the 4th wave of COVID-19 seriously impacted on socio-economic development, the people’s health and life, and military-defence task. Against such a backdrop, the Central Military Commission  (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) as well as all-level party committees and commands remained proactive, heightened a sense of responsibility, and surmounted all difficulties to lead the entire Military to successfully fulfil all goals and missions, with many outstanding achievements.

The whole Military frequently grasped, assessed, and correctly anticipated situations, while proactively giving advice to the Party and the State on opportunely, effectively dealing with military-defence issues to avoid falling into passivity. It closely cooperated with ministries, committees, sectors, and localities in effectively implementing important military-defence strategies and projects, clearly expressing its strategic thinking and vision towards the Homeland construction and protection in the new situation. It promoted its core role in coordinating and effectively mobilising resources for building and consolidating the all-people national defence, and making all-level defensive zones and military regions’ defence increasingly strong. Due attention was paid to building a strong Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel under the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. Great value was attached to realising three breakthroughs under the Resolution of 11th Military Party Congress, thereby making a positive, solid change in training, exercises, education, and international military contests. The work of logistics-technical support, defence industry, and military international integration and diplomacy was carried out comprehensively and practically. The VPA’s synergy and combat power were unceasingly increased as a great contribution to firmly protecting national independence, sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity.

Cadres and soldiers across the VPA proactively overcame difficulties, opportunely helped the people with natural disaster prevention and control, and gave assistance to fishermen in handling incidents at sea. Notably, against the complex developments of COVID-19 pandemic, the whole Military thoroughly grasped the Party’s directions, proactively developed plans and projects to respond to each degree of COVID-19, undertook scientific researches, mobilised more than 140,000 cadres and soldiers and members of the militia and self-defence force for pandemic prevention and control, organised hundreds of quarantine zones and tens of thousands of border and inland checkpoints, field hospitals, and mobile military medicine teams, and transported thousands of tons of medical equipment, goods, and food, thus contributing to pushing back the pandemic, being highly appreciated by the Party, the State, and the people, and bolstering the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period.

However, in addition to those encouraging results, there were several weaknesses. The implementation of the three breakthroughs was yet to be really effective. The outcome of military standard order building and discipline management in some units was still limited. There were difficulties in handling malicious information in cyberspace. The planning and management of defence land in some places were not really close. There were both subjective and objective reasons for those above-mentioned weaknesses; therefore, all-level party committees and commands should seriously draw lessons and opportunely work towards remedial measures.

Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang addressing the national military-political conference of 2021 (photo: qdnd.vn)

In 2022, the situation in the world and the region will continue witnessing rapid, complex developments. Strategic competition and trade war between major powers as well as traditional and non-traditional security challenges will be more intense. Economic downturn caused by COVID-19 pandemic will directly impact on all countries’ stability and development. The situation in the East Sea will be unstable and unpredictable. Major powers will continue exerting a strong influence on ASEAN Community, and it will be confronted with a lot of new challenges, especially disputes over borders, seas, islands, and water sources and pandemic prevention and control. Domestically, many new guidelines and policies of the Party and the State will continue to be widely and deeply implemented as an important prerequisite for the Homeland construction and protection. The hostile forces will enhance their sabotage strategy against our Party, State, and VPA via cunning artifices. Natural disasters, epidemics, and environmental pollution as non-traditional security challenges will be on the rise. Adjustments in the VPA’s organisational structure will impact on a section of cadres and soldiers.

To deal with those problems, the whole Military, particularly all-level party committees and commands shall maintain unity, heighten a sense of responsibility, and proactively, creatively, drastically, synchronously adopt breakthrough measures for military-defence task of 2022, with a focus on the following.

First, frequently grasp situation and give sound, strategic advice to the Party and the State on military-defence task and the Homeland protection under any circumstance.

This measure is of paramount importance to the Homeland construction and protection in the new situation. The reason is that only by grasping the situation could we proactively, effectively develop sound strategies against all issues to avoid falling into passivity. Thus, offices and units across the Military, particularly at strategic and campaign levels shall proactively improve their capabilities in research and forecast to opportunely give advice to the Party and the State on strategies for flexibly settling disputes and differences, preventing the risk of war and dispute from afar, resolutely, effectively dealing with all military-defence issues in order to firmly protect the Socialist Vietnamese Homeland. They shall closely cooperate with ministries, sectors, and localities in effectively implementing strategies, resolutions, and conclusions by the Party and the State’s laws on military-defence task and accomplishing law projects and a number of fundamental solutions for the settlement of issues relating to seas and islands.

Offices and units across the VPA shall continue strictly maintaining combat readiness, proactively developing, adjusting, and completing combat documents and force adjustment plans in accordance with their task requirements and the military posture within defensive zones, and intensifying measures to closely manage borders, airspace, seas, islands, key areas, and cyberspace. They shall proactively maintain coordination to effectively perform civil defence work and the tasks of natural disaster, epidemic, and environmental incident prevention and mitigation and search and rescue.

Second, well play the VPA’s core role in building and consolidating the all-people national defence and the posture of all-people national defence associated with the posture of people’s security.

The all-people national defence represents the country’s defence strength, and it is built by various factors. Ours is a comprehensive, independent, self-reliant, and gradually modern all-people national defence built to create comprehensive, balanced, and synchronous strength, with military strength serving as its trait and the people’s armed forces playing a core role. Therefore, in the upcoming time, the entire Military shall actively, proactively cooperate with ministries, sectors, and localities in mobilising resources for building and consolidating the all-people national defence, the posture of all-people national defence associated with the posture of people’s security, and especially all-level defensive zones. Offices and units shall grasp and well execute the Politburo’s Conclusion 64-KL/TW, dated October 30th, 2019 on continuing implementing Resolution 28-NQ/TW, dated September 22nd, 2008 and the Government’s Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated February 22nd, 2019 on building defensive zones  in line with the Strategy for the Homeland Protection in the new situation. Great value should be attached to improving the building, training, and operation of the militia and self-defence force and the reserve force and ensuring sufficient policies for those forces. Due attention should be paid to adhering to the Party’s guidelines and the State’s laws on managing and using defence land, proactively reviewing, developing, and perfecting plans on defence land and defence disposition, and closely appraising strategies, plans, and projects on socio-economic development in the period of 2021-2030. It is necessary to well perform defence work at ministries, committees, and localities and execute the Secretariat’s Conclusion on the organisation and operation of commune-level military party cells. Significance should be attached to raising the quality of defence and security education for all citizens, particularly for cadres under the Party Central Committee’s management and religious dignitaries in each area and nationwide.

Offices and units across the Military shall closely cooperate with the Public Security Force and other relevant forces in effectively implementing the Government’s Decree 03/2019/NĐ-CP, dated September 5th, 2019 to readily deal with defence-security situations and maintain political security and social order and safety in each area and nationwide. Besides, the entire VPA shall better perform the function as “an army ready for work,” actively take part in building political bases, carry out mass mobilisation work, and help the people with natural disaster, epidemic, and environmental incident prevention and control and search and rescue in order to build an increasingly solid “posture of people’s hearts and minds.”

Third, focus on raising the VPA’s synergy and combat strength to meet the task requirements in the new situation.

This measure acts as a determinant to ensuring that in any circumstance, the VPA will be an absolutely loyal, reliable political and fighting force of our Party, State, and People. Thus, emphasis should be placed on maintaining and strengthening the Party’s absolute, direct leadership over the Military and defence work. Due attention should be paid to building a politically strong VPA as the basis for improving its synergy and combat power. All-level party committees, commands, and commissars shall renew and improve political and ideological education to build up troops’ political zeal, pure morality, exemplary lifestyle, and responsibility for all missions. Importance should be attached to orientating cadres and soldiers’ ideology against complex, sensitive issues. Offices and units within the Military shall keep implementing the 13th Politburo’s Conclusion 01-KL/TW, dated May 18th, 2021 on continuing executing the 12th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW, dated May 15th, 2016 in tandem with the Campaign titled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period and the Determination to Win Emulation Movement. They shall proactively fight against wrong, hostile viewpoints, protect the Party’s ideological foundation, enhance the quality and effectiveness of party and political work during missions, build strong mass organisations, improve troops’ material and mental life, and well implement policies for the VPA and its rear, particularly for cadres and soldiers taking part in natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control.

Furthermore, it is essential to continue realising the three breakthroughs under the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress and the theme of 2022: “the year for implementing the force adjustment plan” so as to achieve a huge change in the VPA’s organisational structure, training and education, discipline management, and military administrative reform. To that end, all-level party committees and commands shall effectively execute the Politburo’s Resolution on the VPA’s organisation in the period of 2021-2030 and beyond. It is necessary to properly recruit, deploy, and use military staff members, with priority given to sufficiently staffing units tasked with combat readiness. Due attention should be paid to taking part in completing criteria for a modern VPA.

Offices and units shall raise the quality of training and education under the CMC’s Conclusion 60-KL/QUTW on continuing implementing the CMC’s Resolution 765-NQ/QUTW, dated December 20th, 2012, with a focus on improving the quality of practical training, night-time training, manoeuvre training, and intense training in accordance with tasks, objects of struggle, combat projects, and COVID-19 prevention and control. Significance should be attached to providing synchronous, intensive training courses, passing on hands-on experience, improving troops’ manoeuvrability, combat capacity, mastery over weapons and technical equipment, closely combining training with exercises, and aligning military training with political education and discipline management. Grounded on reviews of Resolution 765-NQ/QUTW on raising the quality of training in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond and the CMC’s Resolution 86-NQ/ĐUQSTW, dated March 29th, 2007 on education and training in the new situation, it is necessary to step up training, strategic and joint exercises, sea and island protection exercises, and cyber warfare exercises. Offices and units shall actively renew contents, forms, methods, and programmes of education and training and raise the quality of examinations and re-examinations. Moreover, it is important to be fully aware that “the quality of education and training at schools is units’ combat readiness.”

The entire Military shall continue synchronously, drastically implementing measures to achieve a solid change in military standard order building and discipline management. Emphasis should be placed on building pure, strong party organisations, “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong offices and units, and excellently strong mass organisations, reducing the rate of violations of discipline and law to below 0.2%, and minimising serious violations of discipline.

The VPA shall better the quality and effectiveness of logistics, technical, and financial support, defence industry, planning and investment, judicial work, cipher work, and military science and technology. The building and development of defence industry must be in accordance with the 13th Politburo’s Resolution on developing defence industry towards 2030 and beyond. In the medium term, emphasis should be placed on executing programmes, goals, and projects on defence industry development in the period of 2021-2025, especially on researching and manufacturing Vietnamese strategic weapons to meet requirements set by military-defence task in the new situation.

Fourth, focus on building a strong Military Party Organisation in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel for the Homeland protection.

Enhancing the Military Party Organisation’s leadership capacity and combativeness plays a decisive role in the Homeland protection under the Party’s leadership. Thus, the whole Military shall continue drastically, synchronously taking various measures to build a strong Military Party Organisation in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and personnel. Importance should be attached to grasping the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, resolutions, conclusions, directives, and regulations by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat, and the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress. Measures should be synchronously, effectively implemented to build a really exemplarily strong, pure Military Party Organisation and its affiliated party organisations under the Party Central Committee’s Conclusion 21-KL/TW, dated October 25th, 2021 on keeping building and rectifying the Party and the political system as well as the Party’s regulations on cadres and party members’ responsibility to set good examples and party members’ don’ts. Emphasis should be placed on executing the CMC’s specialised Resolution on promoting the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and resolutely combating individualism in the new situation and the Project on “the VPA’s negative practice, corruption, and wastefulness prevention and control” as a central task aimed at strictly maintaining discipline at all levels. Military party committees shall enhance the training and management of their party members, seriously exercise self-criticism and criticism, actively renew their leadership method and style, match their words with action, and combat merit-driven practices.

It is vital to well carry out personnel work and build a contingent of cadres under the CMC’s Resolution 109-NQ/QUTW, dated February 11th, 2019, especially at strategic and campaign levels. Significance should be attached to training cadres, conducting personnel planning, rotating jobs amongst cadres, opportunely consolidating commands and party committees, and dealing with redundancies caused by adjustments in the VPA’s organisational structure.

All-level party committees and inspection commissions shall enhance the work of inspection, supervision, and Party discipline. Emphasis should be placed on inspecting and supervising leadership over political mission and the Party building. Inspections and supervisions should be intensified to quickly detect violations by party organisations and members in order to strictly maintain the Party’s discipline and build a really pure, strong Military Party Organisation with a high level of combativeness.

Fifth, step up military international integration as the basis for firmly protecting the Socialist Vietnamese Homeland from afar.

Based on the Party’s diplomatic guidelines and the CMC’s policy on military international integration and diplomacy, offices and units across the Military shall actively implement measures to further raise the quality of this important task as a strategy for defending the Homeland from afar by peaceful means. In the process, they shall give advice on managing defence cooperation with partners to fulfil strategic goals and maintain national benefits. Due attention should be paid to promoting bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation in a stable, effective manner. Priority should be given to fostering relations with neighbours, ASEAN member states, and traditional friends. At the same time, great value should be attached to deepening relations with potential countries and managing defence cooperation to contribute to enhancing political trust and increasing intertwined benefits with major powers. The VPA shall actively participate in the United Nations Peacekeeping operations so as to raise its status and prestige in the international arena. In the current situation, the Military shall encourage cooperation in preventing and combating COVID-19 pandemic with other countries’ military medicine forces as well as in settling the post-war consequences and clearing toxic chemicals, bombs, and mines. The VPA shall accelerate the signing of international agreements on military technical cooperation. It is essential to develop and implement the Strategy for Military International Integration and Diplomacy towards 2030 and beyond as a favourable condition for firmly protecting the Homeland from afar.

2022 is the pivotal year for executing the Resolutions of the 13th National Party Congress and the 11th Military Party Congress, with more demanding task requirements imposed on the Military. Hence, the entire VPA shall heighten a sense of responsibility, maintain unity, and actively settle its weaknesses to successfully fulfil all missions.

Gen., Dr PHAN VAN GIANG, Member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the CMC

Minister of National Defence