One of the breakthroughs identified in the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress is to improve training quality. This is also a content of special importance in building a "lean, compact, strong" Military, moving towards modernity. Therefore, the entire Military needs to continue to overcome difficulties and successfully implement this important task with many synchronous solutions, meeting the requirements and tasks of protecting the Fatherland in all situations.

In 2023, along with the drastic implementation of the "year of organisational adjustment", the entire Military has thoroughly and seriously grasped and implemented Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission on improving the quality of training for the 2023 - 2030 period and beyond with positive results, thereby making comprehensive changes in training work.

The year 2024 is decisive to the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress. The world and regional situations are predicted with many complex and unpredictable developments, notably the increasingly fierce armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and between Israel and Hamas, and the risk of instability in the East Sea. Domestically, hostile forces continue to promote subversive activities against the Party, State, and Military with many sophisticated and cunning tricks. The entire Military continues to promote adjustment of organisation to build a "lean, compact, and strong" Military, moving towards modernity. The requirements and tasks of Fatherland protection are becoming increasingly demanding, etc. That context requires the entire Military to continue to thoroughly grasp and deploy drastic and comprehensive measures to innovate and improve training quality, making a breakthrough in overall quality, combat power, and meeting the task requirements in the new situation.

First of all, further strengthen the leadership and direction of party committees and commanders at all levels for training and combat readiness tasks. Agencies and units, first of all party committees and commanders at all levels, should continue to deeply grasp the Party's defence and military viewpoints and guidelines; resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on training, directly Resolution No. 44-NQ/TW, dated 24 November 2023 of the Party Central Committee (13th tenure) on Strategy to protect the Fatherland in the new situation; Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission on improving the quality of training in the 2023 - 2030 period and beyond; Order on military and defence work of the Chief of the General Staff. On that basis, they should review and supplement targets and measures in programmes and plans to implement the Resolution in accordance with reality, focusing on new problems, weak points and areas. At the same time, agencies and units should strengthen political and ideological education and task briefing to make officers and soldiers deeply aware and more responsible for this important task. The entire Military is to unify awareness about training; must always identify it as a central and regular political task placed under the direct leadership and direction of party committees, commanders, political commissars, and junior commissars at all levels. Training is not only to meet the requirements and tasks of combat readiness, firmly protect the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity of the Fatherland, protect the Party, State, People and the socialist regime, but also to fulfil the Military's functions and tasks in peacetime, and for ready to respond to traditional and non-traditional security challenges. Improving training quality is the responsibility of every unit, officer and soldier.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Nghia meets with and encourages new recruits

Second, improving the quality of direction, management, and administration of training. Agencies under the Ministry of National Defence and the General Staff, first of all the Department of Military Training, should proactively follow reality, actively research and advise the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, direct and instruct units to promote innovation in training according to the new defence and military thinking of the Party and the requirements for protecting the Fatherland in the new situation. In particular, focus should be placed on directing and guiding units performing specific and important tasks, and newly merged and restructured units, to standardise content, programmes, processes of training, and supply efficient training equipment in a serious, scientific, relevant manner. Agencies, units, and schools should seriously follow the viewpoints, goals, and guiding principles in Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW of the Central Military Commission; implement the training management mechanism in the "centralised, unified, synchronous, effective" direction with clearly-defined responsibilities of each level and sector; seriously maintain formal discipline in training. At the same time, they are to promote innovation in testing and evaluation in training, strengthen inspections, cross-checks, promptly review and take corrective measures to overcome limitations, strive to complete training contents and programmes with the best quality and efficiency.

Third, actively innovating the contents and methods of training and exercises to suit new combat conditions. Agencies, units and schools should conduct review of the practice regularly, especially new issues emerging in the recent local wars and armed conflicts in the world. Attention should be paid to researching and developing the theory of Vietnamese military art and suitable fighting methods regarding the development of Military new structure, weapons, equipment and combat objects in the war to defend the Fatherland as a basis for innovating training content. In the short term, it is necessary to focus on researching and supplementing the system of content, programmes, and documents on new weapons and equipment, types of combat responding to traditional and non-traditional security situations,... suitable for each object and force. During the training process, agencies, units and schools need to thoroughly grasp and implement the motto of "basic, practical, solid", focusing on synchronous and intensive training; take combat training in conditions of the enemy’s high-tech warfare to train the soldiers, and take the task of protecting the Fatherland, protecting the regime, protecting people's lives and property as the goals of training.

Fourth, innovating and improving the quality and effectiveness of contests at all levels in the direction of "basic, practical, solid, intensive, professional, and high-achievement", and actively mobilising supply sources for training. Based on the achievements gained and experience learned in recent times, agencies and units should continue to hold contests and sport events after each training period with appropriate content and form for each level. These activities must be carried out in a serious, scientific, substantial, objective, and fair manner in order to encourage, motivate, and promote the morale, responsibility, positivity, initiative, and creativity of the soldiers in training; promptly discover cadres with good training methods and units with good models to motivate, praise, reward, and replicate, contributing to improving training quality. Moreover, the Department of Military Training should coordinate with competent agencies to quickly grasp information about international and regional military competitions and contests to advise higher level, and direct and guide junior agencies and units. Units should proactively coordinate with functional agencies of the Ministry of National Defence to develop plans, select coaches and athletes, establish teams and deploy training contents in accordance with regulations, and strive to participate with the strongest determination to gain the best results, while ensuring absolute safety.

In addition to the drastic and synchronous implementation of the above measures, agencies, units and schools should continue to thoroughly grasp and seriously implement documents and directives on formality building, discipline management; integrate formality building with the building of all-strong "exemplary and typical" units, building clean, strong and typical party organisations, and deploy the Determined to Win Emulation movements.

In the face of the requirements and tasks of building the Military and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation, improving the quality of training is even more important, requiring party committees, commanders at all levels, and all officers and soldiers in the entire Military to enhance their determination, implement solutions more enthusiastically, ensuring that the entire Military is always ready to fight, and will fight successfully, firmly protecting the independence, sovereignty, unity and integrity of the Fatherland, maintaining the peaceful and stable environment to build and develop the country.

Sr. Lt. Gen. NGUYEN VAN NGHIA, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army