The combination of economy and national defence which is a linchpin in the Party’s policies on national development is to accomplish the tasks of constructing and safeguarding the Fatherland. However, due to the negative impact of hostile forces’ sabotage and distortion activities as well as the off-track perceptions of a minority of cadres, party members, and people, it is required to formulate multiple solutions for rejection.

The combination of economy and national defence is a regulatory issue that ensures the existence and sustainable development of each country. It emerges from the relationship between economy and war, economy and national defence, and national construction and defence. It is an effective approach to enhancing the economic and defence potentials of each country. As for Vietnam, the combination of economy and national defence is the continuation of national tradition and specificity which is building the country in parallel with safeguarding the country. It is also an objective requirement of the cause of building socialism and safeguarding the socialist Fatherland. Recent years witnessed the serious and effective implementation of combining economy and national defence, which contributes to the country’s rapid and sustainable development.

However, negative impacts are hindering the combination. The first impact that must be mentioned is the conspiracies and tricks of hostile forces, especially the misrepresentation of the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws on the combination of economy and national defence. They instigate and advocate economic development at all costs; take advantage of international opening and foreign investment to get access to strategic branches and fields relating to national defence; make use of economic aids, capital investment, and technology transfer to exert pressure on the political system and gradually orient Vietnam toward Capitalism, etc. Additionally, a minority of cadres remain vaguely aware of the viewpoint on combining economy and national defence; several localities give a free rein to management, neglect, and ineffectively implement economic development in combination with strengthening national defence and security, especially project accreditation and authorisation in key strategic areas. More seriously, several cadres deliberately disobey the instruction and direction of functional agencies and even violate the laws to cater to interest groups and personal benefits, etc. These perceptions and actions, whether deliberately or unintentionally, are contrary to the Party's viewpoints and guidelines, the State's policies and laws; damage national and ethnic interests; become a hindrance to the cause of national construction and defence.

Theoretical foundation and practice

It is theoretically and practically proved that economy, national defence, and security exist objectively and have a dialectical relationship with each other. In particular, material production is the basis of social life and other fields of social life have reverse effects on economy. Thus, the combination of economy and national defence becomes a general regulatory issue of countries across the globe.

What can be seen from the development of countries is that regardless of being major or minor countries with different economic development levels, and political regimes, all nations including those that have not been in wars for hundreds of years pay much attention to socio-economic development in line with strengthening national defence and security. It is apparent that in each nation, the combination has different peculiarities in terms of purposes, contents, modes, and results and that within a country, each period of development witnesses a different combination. This is manifested in most developed countries whose stipulation is that the strategies, planning, and programmes on socio-economic development must be approved by national defence and security councils. Those countries pay much attention to building legal frameworks for combining socio-economic development and foreign relationship with the strengthening of national defence and security. Numerous countries attach importance to requirements of national defence and security in building socio-economic infrastructures, constructions of urban areas, headquarters, and key production facilities; integrate research and development activities in both civilian and military facilities; and concentrate on training human resources for military and defence demands in civilian schools. In particular, several countries such as the U.S., Japan, Russia, and China always concentrate on developing both civil and defence industries. At Present, Japan possesses 1.500 enterprises manufacturing military equipment with 70.000 workers (accounting for 0.1% of the total number of workers in the country). In the U.S., the military-industrial complex can manufacture an abundance of products from weapons to consumer goods or services such as logistics, petroleum, and electronic equipment. Meanwhile, the military-industrial complex in Russia can simultaneously manufacture weapons, equipment, and civil product (accounting for 70% of all industrial products). It can be confirmed that the combination of economy and national defence is a requirement and general trend across the globe.

The combination of economy and national defence throughout the history of Vietnam

For thousands of years in history, our country has several time been invaded by foreign aggressors. If the period from 214 AD to 1945 were only taken into consideration, it took our country 2000 years to repulse foreign aggressors. Therefore, one of the valuable lessons drawn by our forefathers is building the country in parallel with safeguarding the country with the thoughts of “filling meals, mighty army”, “wealthy country, mighty army”, etc. Our country has been always attaching importance to combining economic construction and development with the building and strengthening of national defence and preparation of mobilised forces for national defence; mobilising resources from the whole country to defeat enemies. Feudal dynasties in the history of Vietnam issued and executed major policies (national policies), the people were farmers in peacetime and mobilised into service in wartime. The policy entitled “Soldiers as farmers” is a complete mechanism for mobilisation and utilisation of human resources in building armed forces to safeguard the country and constructing powerful defence potentialities on the foundation of economic development in parallel with strengthening armed forces. Thanks to the implementation of numerous guidelines and policies, especially “Soldiers as farmers” policy, feudal dynasties in the history of Vietnam mobilised abundant human resources from peacetime to promptly safeguard the Fatherland in case of wars. The combination of economy with national defence have been focused on by our forefathers and be an essential method to ensure people’s lives and preserve the peace, stability, and development of the country.

The Party’s viewpoints on combining economy with national defence

The combination of socio-economic development and the strengthening of national defence and security is a consistent viewpoint and policy that have been developed through Party Congresses. The 13^th National Party Congress claimed that “Closely and effectively combining economy, culture, and society, and diplomacy with national defence and security and with national defence and security economy, culture, and society, and diplomacy”. With the implementation of the guideline that each stride in socio-economy is a stride in strengthening national defence, over the years, the combination of economy and national defence across the country has been comprehensively, synchronously, responsibly, and effectively implemented. This is manifested right from the stage of mapping out strategies, planning zones, territories, branches, fields; long-term, and short-term plans; each construction and project on developing economy, culture, and society, etc., which all attach to defensive zones. Localities, especially in strategic areas have attached much importance to residential planning and the development of forces to ensure socio-economic development and the strengthening of national defence and security. Army units must ensure training, and combat readiness while still participating in socio-eonomic development and the building of local cultural life. Defence enterprises, in line with manufacturing products for national defence, also make maximal use of existing potentialities and strengths to participate in the production of goods for socio-economic development. Typically, enterprises in the field of shipbuilding, mechanics, chemicals, electricity – electronics with numerous prestigious products and brands that have widely integrated into the domestic and global markets. Multiple enterprises have achieved breakthroughs with key defence products and consumer goods. The outcomes of the combination have contributed to the strengthening of national defence as well as the preservation of peace and stability to realise the goal of rapid and sustainable economic development.

Above is the foundation to state the necessity and objectivity of combining economy with national defence in all stages of development to construct a country of wealth and happiness. This is also evidence for rejecting perceptions and actions that call for the splitting of economy and national defence in the cause of national construction and defence.

Dr. NGUYEN DUC LONG, Political Academy, Ministry of Defence