The Military Region 5 performs its defence-military mission in the area of South Central Coast - Central Highlands which holds a position of strategic importance. Fully aware of its responsibility, the Military Region 5’s Party Organisation has always successfully fulfilled the defence-military task set by the Resolution of the  Military Region 5’s 9^th Party Congress.

In addition to advantages, the Military Region 5 has been confronted with a lot of difficulties in performing its defence-military mission. The Military Region 5’s area is at the forefront of the hostile forces’ sabotage strategy together with their new plots and artifices. The security situation in the border, sea, island areas is complex. In some localities, there have been some thorny issues which have negatively impacted on the people’s life, political security, and social order and safety.

To fulfil the defence-military task, the Military Region 5’s Party Committee has adopted many measures, with a focus on enhancing the effectiveness of operation of the Party’s leadership mechanism for this very important work. The Military Region 5’s Party Committee Standing Board has organised a lot of working sessions with the standing boards of the provincial-level party committees to settle difficulties in the performance of their defence-military mission. Emphasis has been placed on directing the all-level party committees to grasp and strictly execute higher echelons’ resolutions, directives, and guiding documents on the defence-military task and the Homeland protection in the new situation so that they would set out measures in accordance with their particularities and conditions. Special resolutions and programs for performing important, complex missions in a close, effective manner have been developed from the Military Region to grass-roots levels, thereby making a considerable change in operating the Party’s leadership mechanism for the defence-military work. At the same time, due regard has been paid to renewing the all-level party committee members and key cadres’ leadership method and working style and well handling the relations between leadership and command as well as between leadership task and leadership method. Moreover, the Military Region 5’s Party Committee Standing Board has focused its leadership on improving the all-level military party committees and offices’ capability in state management of national defence and their capacity to give advice on the defence-military work, while renewing their method to counsel local party committees and authorities via specific programs, plans, and projects in each field.

Second, closely cooperating with local party committees and authorities in building the strong all-people national defecence and firm postures of all-people national defence and people’s security in defensive zones. The Military Region 5’s Party Committee Standing Board and Command have directed provinces in the area to raise the quality of defence and security education as the basis for making the postures of all-people national defence and “people’s hearts and minds” strong. They have been asked to frequently grasp the number of learners and formulate defence and security programs, plans, and methods properly. In this regard, greater importance has been attached to providing knowledge of defence and security for cadres of the Women’s Union and the Peasants’ Union as well as religious dignitaries, patriarchs, and village heads.

Consideration has been given to directing the all-level party committees and commands to review and adjust the military posture within the all-level defensive zones under the Government’s Decree 21/2019/NĐ-CP, dated February 22^nd 2019, on the defensive zones. They have been required to supplement and adjust the master plans for constructing the system of combat works, key defensive positions, logistics and technical bases, defensive works, communications, and logistics and technical depots as well as combat and defensive works on the islands near the coast and in the border area in accordance with the combat projects so as to promote the synergy within the defensive zones and readily, effectively deal with all situations. Due attention has been paid to maintain coordination between the forces to settle situations, avoid passivity, and prevent the hostile forces from inventing excuses for intervention. At the same time, great value has attached to effectively executing the Special Resolution and Action Program by the Military Region 5’s Party Committee on natural disaster prevention and mitigation and search and rescue.

Under the leadership of the Military Region 5’s Party Committee, the party committees of offices and units have closely cooperated with local party committees and authorities in building the all-people national defence’s potential and posture, with a focus placed on completing each locality’s master plan for socio-economic development in line with the planning and building of defensive works to ensure that their socio-economic development will consolidate the defence-military potential in the area. Emphasis has been placed on directing the provincial-level military commands to proactively advise local party committees and authorities on supplementing and adjusting the criteria set by the “National Defence Assurance” Project in accordance with each locality’s conditions. Leadership has been exercised to closely appraise the socio-economic development projects under the Government’s Decree 164/2018/NĐ-CP, dated December 21^st 2018, and the Prime Minister’s Decision 2412/QĐ-TTg, dated December 19^th 2011. At the same time, a focus has been placed on taking part in building strong political bases and helping the people with hunger eradication, poverty reduction, new-style countryside building, and natural disaster prevention and control in order to build a firm posture of “people’s hearts and minds.”

Building the strong, extensive militia and self-defence force and the reserve force with proper quantity and structure. In this regard, priority has been given to building, training, and providing logistics support for the provincial and district-level emergency reserve force, particularly in the border, coastal areas and the big cities. Great value has been attached to enhancing the quality of the standing, mobile, and coastal militia force in the key areas and building the standing militia force’s combat positions at border communes under the plan by the Ministry of National Defence. Due attention has been paid to closely cooperating with Da Nang city, Quang Ngai province, and Khanh Hoa province in effectively implementing the Project to “build standing militia fleets for defending the sea and island sovereignty in the new situation.” The Military Region 5 has directed localities in the area to continue using local budget to train reserve officers and construct district-level or inter-district reserve training centres. Moreover, it has required the all-level military offices to proactively cooperate with the military service councils at the same level in carrying out the military call-up work, building the reserve force, and initiating new members into the Party, and training human resources at the grass-roots level.

Third, exercising leadership to build the Military Region 5’s comprehensively strong armed forces and make them strong politically as the basis for enhancing their synergy and combat power to fulfil all missions in the new situation. To do so, significance has been attached to building cadres and soldiers’ political zeal, combativeness, and determination to undertake tasks. Emphasis has been placed on renewing the method of political and ideological education, grasping troops’ ideology, and opportunely providing information in order to create a consensus among troops. Due regard has been paid to improving the work of internal political protection, proactively preventing and effectively fighting against “peaceful evolution,” “self-evolution,” and “self-transformation” from within. Importance has been attached to renewing the emulation and commendation work and the Determination to Win Emulation Movement, studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, executing the Campaign entitled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers,” preserving and promoting the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new situation. Grounded on the regulations set by the Ministry of National Defence, the Military Region 5 has frequently reviewed the plan for force adjustment in accordance with its task requirements, with priority given to units tasked with combat readiness and stationed in the key, border, sea, and island areas. A focus has been placed on dissolving, adjusting, and reorganising a number of units, such as local military schools, vocational schools, and cadres-based infantry regiments. Manpower of several offices of the Military Region 5 has been reduced by 10% under the road map.

Besides, units have been asked to grasp and effectively implement the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 765-NQ/QUTW and the Resolution 75-NQ/ĐU by the Military Region 5’s Party Committee on “raising the training quality in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond” as well as comprehensively enhance the quality of training and education under the motto of “basics, practicality, and thorough grasp.” Units have also renewed the training content and method and increased intensive, synchronous training relevant to groups of troops, tasks, areas, and combat readiness projects. Leadership has been centred on making a basic, solid change in military standard order and discipline management, minimising violations of the State’s law and the Military’s discipline, traffic accidents, and training, labour incidents, building comprehensively strong units, and improving the combat strength of the Military Region 5’s armed forces to meet the task requirements.

Thanks to the sound leadership, there has been a positive transformation in the awareness and responsibility of local party committees and authorities and the people towards the defence-military mission and the Homeland defence. The work of building the all-people national defence has gained many encouraging results. The defence-security potential and posture within the defensive zones have been consolidated. The synergy, political quality, combat strength, and combat readiness capacity of the Military Region’s 5 armed forces have been improved. The forces within the Military Region 5 have closely cooperated with one another in well handling situations at sea, on islands, and in the border and inland areas, avoiding passivity, firmly protecting the national border and territorial sovereignty, and maintaining political stability as the basis for localities’ socio-economic development. That outcome will give an incentive to the Military Region 5’s Party Organisation and armed forces to fulfil all assigned missions.

Lt. Gen. Trinh Dinh Thach, Secretary of the Military Region 5’s Party Committee, Commissar of the Military Region 5