In 2022, the entire military continued to realise the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress in the context of rapid, complex, unforeseeable regional and international situations. In the country, the COVID-19 pandemic was controlled. Many new policies were introduced to facilitate economic recovery. The macroeconomy was stabilised. Inflation was kept under control. Major balances of the economy were ensured. GDP was expected to reach around 8.02%. Political security and social order and safety were basically stable. National defence, security, and foreign relations were strengthened. Potential and position of the country were further enhanced. Nevertheless, we also faced many difficulties and challenges. Hostile forces and reactionaries stepped up doing deliberate damage to the Party, State, and People’s Army by many sophisticated, malicious tricks. Natural disasters and pandemics witnessed complex developments. Prices of some essential goods were on the increase, affecting social life in every aspect and military, defence missions. However, thanks to the close leadership of the Central Military Commission (CMC), Ministry of National Defence (MND), and party committees and commanders at all levels as well as great efforts of cadres and soldiers in the entire military, we accomplished every task set for 2022. Many of them were excellently performed and became new hallmarks. We constantly maintained solidarity, unity, and steadfastness; were ready to undertake and successful complete all assigned tasks.

2023 is a pivotal year to implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress in the context of increasingly complex, unforeseeable regional and international situations. Strategic competition among great powers and local conflicts are likely to be fierce, affecting nations in every aspect. The Asia – Pacific region, including the ASEAN Community, continues to witness dynamic developments but has to cope with many new challenges, especially in terms of economy, national defence, security, and diplomacy. While our country has many advantages, we also encounter numerous difficulties and challenges. Hostile forces and reactionaries continue to intensify “peaceful evolution,” incite “self-evolution” and “self-transformation,” and step up doing deliberate damage to the Party, State, and People’s Army. Nontraditional security issues are likely to pose huge threats to the country. The military focuses on adjusting organisation, which may lay down new requirements for ideological, organisational, and policy work. These remain difficulties in the maintenance of some modern weapon systems and equipment.

These situations require the entire military, first and foremost party committees and commanders at all echelons, to promote solidarity, unity, and responsibility; proactively and creatively adopt many drastic, synchronous solutions aimed at bringing about breakthroughs and striving for completing 2023 military, defence missions comprehensively, most notably the following.

First, it is important to take initiative in enhancing capacity to undertake strategic studies, make predictions, and advise the Party and State to work out policies and measures to successfully deal with military, defence contingencies without falling into passivity and shock. The entire military, especially the strategic bodies, must further enhance quality of studying, predicting, and perceiving national, regional, international situations relating to military, defence missions. Special attention must be attached to correct anticipation of moves, schemes, development trends, and impacts of situations; flexible, effective response to international relations in the cause of building and safeguarding the Fatherland. We have to effectively carry out strategies, projects, and laws on military and national defence; propose fundamental, enduring solutions to issues of national waters and islands; take initiative in doing overall planning for military and defence fields; improve plans to successfully respond to nontraditional security challenges; participate in socio-economic development planning within functions of the MND. These are matters of significant importance, which need to be addressed seriously, closely, and scientifically with regular collaboration with relevant forces, high responsibility, and good quality. Additionally, the military must exercise constant vigilance and high combat readiness; keep close control of national borders, waters, airspace, and cyberspace; proactively make preparations of forces, plans, weapon systems, and technical equipment to timely and effectively respond to situations without falling into passivity and shock.

Gen. Phan Van Giang and Gen. Luong Cuong present emulation flags for outstanding collectives in the Determine to win Emulation Movement of 2022

Second, the VPA must continue to bring into play its leading role in building and strengthening the all-people national defence; creating robust military region defence and defensive zones at all levels. Building of the all-people national defence is a consistent viewpoint of the Party and State aimed at generating overall, comprehensive, balanced, synchronous power with the armed forces as the core to successfully build and protect the Fatherland. In the coming time, the entire military will need to further collaborate closely with commissions and ministries at the central level and localities to create overall power and effectively mobilise all resources for building a strong all-people national defence in terms of both potential, force, and posture; well implement the policy on combining national defence with economy and vice versa as guided by resolutions of the Politburo on socio-economic development orientation and consolidation of national defence and security in regions by 2030 and vision for 2045. They are also to carry out the Conclusion No. 64-KL/TW, dated 30 October 2019, of the Politburo on further implementing the Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, dated 22 September 2008 and the Decree No. 21/2019/ND-CP, dated 22 September 2019, of the Government on building defensive zones in connection with the Strategy to safeguard the Fatherland in the new situation. Attention should be paid to reform and increase in quality of building and operation of the reserve, militia, and self-defence force, most notably the standing militia, mobile militia, and maritime militia. The disposition must be adjusted to suit reorganisation of the VPA. The military is to submit the Planning of military estate and the Planning of national maritime space by 2030 and vision for 2050 to the Prime Minister for approval; strictly control and effectively use military estate; adopt synchronous measures to enhance the effectiveness of defence work at ministries and branches at the central level and in localities and improve quality of defence and security education for subjects. The entire military needs to further leverage their functions as “an army for work” in building political bases and conducting mass mobilisation; be in the vanguard of preventing and responding to natural disasters and pandemics; work closely with other forces to protect political security and social order and safety in each area and nationwide.

Third, it is necessary to intensify implementation of three breakthroughs as provided by the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress; ceaselessly improve comprehensive strength and combat power of the VPA. These are key matters regarded as foundation and drivers of making the military constantly worthy of its role as the core force in performing the mission of safeguarding the Fatherland in any situations. Accordingly, departments and units should focus on leading serious, effective implementation of the Resolution No. 05-NQ/TW, dated 17 January 2022, of the Politburo, the Resolution No. 230-NQ/QUTW, dated 2 April 2022, of the CMC on the organisation of the VPA in the 2021-2030 period and beyond in association with providing weapon system and equipment for forces according to the Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW, dated 1 August 2018, of the Politburo, step by step meeting the requirements for building a modern Viet Nam People’s Army in the new situation. They are to concentrate on effectively carry out the “Year of force adjustments” to satisfy the demand of building an “adept, compact, strong” military set forth in the plan of the MND, ensuring stability and increased combat strength of the military; promote studies and development of the Project on the list of leadership, management, command titles and positions in the VPA according to the Conclusion No. 35-KL/TW, dated 5 May 2022, of the Politburo.

There needs to further reform and improve quality of education and training; conduct more realistic, intensive, synchronous training in accordance with mottos, viewpoints, and combinations. Attention is paid to increased night-time training, maneuver training, high-intensity training in all conditions, ensuring suitability for subject and operational plans. Exercises, competitions, and examinations are to be carried out in a serious, substantive, safe manner. The VPA is to host and take part in national, international sport tournaments; well realise the motto “Training quality at schools is units’ combat readiness”; adopt drastic, synchronous solutions to promote quality of building comprehensively strong, exemplary, representative units; pay attention to military administrative reform and digital transformation; make steady progress in promoting good order and discipline in the entire military; minimise serious violations and reduce the rate of punishment by 0.2%.

Fourth, special importance must be attached to the building of a strong Military Party Committee in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, and cadre; intensive, extensive, effective realisation of the Party Central Committee’s instruction on Party building and rectification as well as themed resolutions of the CMC in all fields. The entire military is to concentrate on studying and grasping guidelines, viewpoints, resolutions, and directives of the Party, especially the resolutions and conclusions on military, defence missions and protection of the Fatherland in the new situation; pay attention to training and education in order to raise cadres’ and party members’ political theory and new knowledge; enhance quality and effectiveness of the struggle against false, hostile viewpoints; consistently and persistently combat signs of degradation in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, “self-evolution,” and “self-transformation” to firmly uphold the Party’s ideological stronghold in the VPA. They have to concentrate on building party committees and organisations at all levels, most notably the building of clean, robust grassroots of the Party with high combat power, leadership capacity, and good coordination of practical activities. Special attention must be attached to the training and employment of the corps of cadres to meet requirements of adjusting organisations and forces. There needs to step up inspecting and supervising the performance of political missions, Party building work, and fields highly prone to wrongdoings. It would be better for us to inspect signs of violation in order to prevent wrongdoings and strictly maintain discipline.

Vigorous reform must be introduced to raise the quality of political education and ideological control and orientation, which is aimed to develop the corps of cadres and party members with political steadfastness, faithfulness, dedication, absolute confidence in the leadership of the Party and management of the State, solidarity, unity, and willingness to undertake and accomplish all assigned tasks. There needs to further promote study and imitation of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style in connection with realising the Resolution No. 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28 December 2021, of the CMC on bringing into play qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers,” resolutely combating individualism in the new situation and the campaign of “Promoting traditions, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers in the new situation”; make the Military Party Committee pure and strong in terms of politics, ideology, organisation, morality, and cadre, being a shining example in the entire Party. In addition, it is necessary to successfully carry out the “Determination to Win” Emulation Movement and other practical, meaningful activities aimed at effectively implementing the Project on commemorating the 80th anniversary of the foundation of Viet Nam People’s Army and 35th anniversary of the all-people defence Day; well implement mass mobilisation, policies and activities of paying gratitude as well as the emulation movements of “Skillful mass mobilisation” and “Units of good mass mobilisation,” contributing to strengthening of the “people’s heart and mind posture.”

Fifth, international cooperation and defence diplomacy are to be promoted, contributing to creation of position, force, and peaceful environment for the cause of national construction and defence. Departments and units in the entire military need to further grasp and seriously realise guidelines and viewpoints of the Party and CMC on international integration and defence diplomacy in the new situation aimed at increasing military, defence capabilities and firmly protecting the Fatherland from afar. Accordingly, the entire military should enhance bilateral defence ties, especially with the neighbouring countries, great powers, strategic partners, ASEAN member states, and traditional friends, ensuring balance and harmony among partners, focus, substantive, and effectiveness. Moreover, multilateral defence relations are to be promoted, which serves to not only create intertwined interests but also take advantage of military, defence cooperation mechanisms in the region and the world to strengthen defence capabilities of the countries. First of all, attention should be paid to successful organisation of the 8^th Viet Nam-China Border Defence Friendship Exchange and the 2nd Viet Nam-Laos Border Defence Friendship Exchange; participation in the Shangri-La Dialogue, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), and so on. We also need to participate actively and responsibly in multilateral search and rescue exercises, bilateral exercises with partners, and UN peacekeeping operations; complete the review of the Resolution No. 806-NQ/QUTW, dated 31 December 2013, of the CMC on international integration and defence diplomacy by 2020 and beyond; produce documents to guide the implementation of the Strategy for International Integration and Defence Diplomacy by 2030 and beyond.

2023 is a pivotal year to implement the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress and the Resolution of the 11th Military Party Congress. It is also the year when the VPA has to adjust its organisation seriously. The entire military needs to proactively surmount difficulties, resolutely strive for making new leaps forward, and better accomplish their missions as compared to 2022, contributing to maintenance of a peaceful, stable environment for the building and development of the country and firm protection of the Vietnam socialist Fatherland in the new situation.

General, Doctor. PHAN VAN GIANG, Member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defence