The Military’s defence diplomacy in general, the Navy’s in particular represents an important element in the military-defence work, aimed at maintaining peace and stability in the sea. Fully understanding that, over the past years, the Navy has focused on successfully carrying out the work of defence diplomacy via synchronous measures, thus contributing to safeguarding the national sovereignty over seas, islands and continental shelf.

Thoroughly grasping the diplomatic policies by the Party, particularly the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND), the Navy has adopted measures to well conduct the work of defence diplomacy in various forms, obtained positive results, and become a representative example of the Military’s defence diplomacy. Notably, cadres and troops’ awareness of this work has been positively changed; naval cooperation activities have been carried out both widely and deeply under the guidelines on diversifying and multilateralizing relations, particularly with the navies of traditional friends, neighbours, and countries adjacent to the East Sea. Joint patrols in the sea, the hot lines, exchange activities, and cooperation on search and rescue drills with the navies of other countries, especially neighbours have been closely, effectively organized. As a result, those have contributed to promoting the understanding and confidence among regional countries’ navies, minimizing difference and confrontation in the settlement of sensitive issues and “hot spots”, controlling the risk of dispute in the sea, shaping new cooperation areas, and raising the status of the Navy, Military and country in the international arena.

Rear Admiral Nguyen Trong Binh presents the logo of the Vietnam People’s Navy to Maj. Gen. Li Xiaoyan Deputy Chief of Staff of Nanhai Fleet (China)

The situation in the seas under the Navy’s management is now basically stable. However, there are still risks and unpredictable developments, particularly the issues of dispute over sovereignty in the East Sea. Moreover, violations of national sovereignty, such as foreign vessels’ illegal exploration and exploitation of natural resources, smuggling and crime in the sea, particularly in Vietnam’s seas adjacent to other countries’ have been on the rise with cunning artifices. If those violations are not settled in a timely manner, they will pose a threat to our marine security and possibly undermine the relationships among relevant countries’ militaries and navies. That situation has imposed higher, more comprehensive new requirements for the task of defending sea, island, continental shelf sovereignty in general, the Navy’s defence diplomacy in particular. To keep improving the quality of the Navy’s defence diplomacy to meet the task requirements in the new situation, the Navy should concentrate on implementing measures synchronously, with emphasis placed on the following points.

First, further enhancing the leadership and direction of all-level party committees and commands over the work of defence diplomacy. This acts as the determinant to the quality and effectiveness of the Military’s defence diplomacy in general, the Navy’s external affairs in particular. The reason is that the Navy’s defence diplomacy represents national operations and regularly has to deal with sensitive, complex situations related to national sovereignty and security. Therefore, the enhanced leadership and direction of all-level party committees and commands over this work is a matter of principle which must be seriously grasped and implemented by all offices and units, particularly those in charge of the defence diplomacy work. To do so, all-level party committees and commands should focus on strictly grasping and implementing the Party’s guidelines on defence diplomacy and the MND’s directives and resolutions on diplomacy, particularly the Politburo’s Resolution 22-NQ/TW, dated April 10^th 2013, on international integration and the CMC’s Resolution 806-NQ/QUTW, dated December 31^st 2013, on defence international integration and diplomacy until 2020 and beyond. Grounded on those documents, party committees and commands should synchronously take measures for close, sound, effective leadership and direction over the Navy’s defence diplomacy tasks. Leadership and direction must be comprehensive but focus on overcoming weaknesses; renewing and raising the awareness of all-level party committees and commands towards the role and importance as well as content and form of external affairs; improving the quality of cadres in charge of external affairs; and carrying out reviews and drawing lessons.

Moreover, it is necessary to actively renew the content and form of relations with partners both bilaterally and multilaterally. Over the past years, in the context of our country’s wide and deep international integration, the Navy’s defence international integration and diplomacy has developed both widely and deeply under the guidelines on diversification and multilateralization of relations with a view to maintaining peace and stability in the sea and taking advantage of external resources to develop the Navy, Military and country. However, the implementation of several agreements signed by our Navy and other countries’ navies has yet to be effective. Thus, in coming time, the Navy should attach importance to renewing content and format of defence cooperation on a comprehensive, focalized basis in accordance with the Party and State’s viewpoints to develop relations deeply and stably. Bilaterally, the Navy should encourage new initiatives and approaches to sustainably, practically develop bilateral relations. Accordingly, based on the mechanisms for cooperation, such as joint patrol, bilateral consultation, all-level delegation exchange, particularly at senior level, due regard should be paid to diversifying content and format of cooperation in each mechanism. At the same time, it is important to intensify friendship exchanges between Vietnam’s Naval Zones and equivalent naval units of other countries to deepen the relationships. Notably, it is essential to step up exchange programs intended for young naval officers to give them opportunities to understand the culture, tradition and people of each country in general, the navy of each country in particular.  Multilaterally, upholding the spirit of enhanced connectivity, information sharing, and cooperation with the navies of countries in the region and worldwide, the Navy has proposed and well implemented the initiatives at multilateral forums, particularly within the framework of ASEAN, while being active and creative in multilateral exercises, such as natural disaster mitigation, search and rescue in the sea. It should be noted that in 2020, Vietnam will take over the rotating ASEAN Chairmanship, and the Navy will host bilateral naval events, such as the 14^th ASEAN Navy Chiefs’ Meeting, the International Fleet Review (IFR 2020), the 2^nd ASEAN Naval Exercise, the International Maritime Security Conference, the International City Parade, and other activities on the sidelines of those events. Thus, the Navy should strengthen cooperation with relevant competent offices in making all preparations. This will be an opportunity for us to disseminate Vietnam’s image, people, and culture to international friends and to raise the position, role and prestige of our country, Military and Navy in the international arena.

Significance should be attached to improving the quality of cadres in charge of defence diplomacy as an important measure. Accordingly, this staff must have political zeal, absolute loyalty to the Party, Homeland, and regime, great professional competence, good command of foreign languages, and grasp the diplomatic policy, international law and practices in the sea as well as countries’ customs. To do so, first and foremost, it is necessary to well conduct the work of education via various methods and forms in accordance with reality, especially for units and cadres in charge of the Navy’s external affairs. At the same time, it is vital to further renew the work of cadre training and closely combine domestic training with overseas training, particularly training in countries with advanced navies in order to ensure the quality and quantity of the staff in charge of this important work. Besides, consideration should be given to enhancing on-the-spot training courses and encouraging self-study and self-improvement through field operations to improve the professional competence and foreign language level to meet the task requirements in both long and short terms.

A part from those measures, the Navy should attach great value to well carrying out reviews and drawing lessons on defence diplomacy. This work is aimed at unceasingly supplementing and developing content and measures for defence diplomacy from the Navy’s operations. Accordingly, the work of conducting reviews should be executed seriously, qualitatively to opportunely draw lessons on leadership, direction and implementation process in all operations. This work must be carried out comprehensively but focus on central tasks on a periodic basis to opportunely adjust, supplement and ceaselessly improve the quality of the Navy’s external affairs, meeting the requirements for this work in the new situation.

Fully aware of the position and role of the defence diplomacy work in the sea, the Navy has adopted measures to well conduct this work, meeting the task requirements. This has provided the basis for the Navy to continue to put this work in order to contribute to defending the sovereignty of the country’s seas, islands, and continental shelf in all situations.

Rear Admiral Nguyen Trong Binh, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Navy