Building defence potentials is one of the strategic guidelines of the Party and State, aiming to mobilise all resources to enhance defence strength and firmly protect the country both in peacetime and in wartime. This is one of the principle orientation which has been written in the Political Document of the Party’s 12th National Congress and should be implemented and followed.
Strengthening defence potentials is one of the breakthroughs in viewpoint and implementation of building all people’s defence posture in our country. In essence, it represents a renewal process to create a comprehensive potential for national defence in the cause of industrialisation, modernization and international integration. The Political Document of the Party’s 12th National Congress reaffirmed the necessity to continue “strengthening defence and security potentials”, creating foundation for building the all people’s defence and people’s security posture, firmly protecting the country in any situations. This is a fundamental viewpoint, manifesting the Party’s consistent guideline on building the all people’s defence posture in the new situation. This is a sound and creative viewpoint; a development in theoretical thinking in defence field in peacetime when the country is heading steadily toward socialism. At the same time, it has to deal with a number of severe and unforeseeable challenges.
In fact, this viewpoint has been mentioned in the previous congresses of the Party, particularly in the 8th Central Resolution (XI tenure) on Strategy to protect the Homeland in the new situation. The reaffirmation of the 12th National Congress of the Party, on one hand, shows the Party’s consistent and steadfast line on building defence potential, on the other hand, states the importance and necessity to implement this work in the new condition. Therefore, along with other factors, defence potentials have always been considered a central content in building the all people’s defence both in theory and in practice.
Grasping the Party’s viewpoint, over the past years, defence potentials have been built by all levels, industries, localities in a serious manner and gained satisfactory achievements. There have been significant changes in the awareness and thinking on defence potential building, particularly theoretical developments in the awareness of partners and rivals; goals and missions of Fatherland protection in the new situation, as well as advances in military science and technology. Defence and security education has become regularity and achieved practial results. Provincial (municipal) defensive areas have been built in depth and with increasing steadfastness. Defence and security forces have been regularly strengthened. The close combination between defence and economy has experienced positive results in all aspects, such as: human resource allocation, eco-technical structuring, the construction of infrastructure, field facilities, strategic rear areas, economic zones’ planning, etc, hence establishing strategic zones which assure political stability, economic prosperity, defence and security, etc. These achievements contribute greatly to strengthening defence strength, ensuring the country’s strategic readiness in any situations.
However, there remain limitations in the awareness of some industries, localities and people on the building of defence potential. Some even think that this is the task of the Ministry of National Defence only. There remain weaknesses in defence and security education, the establishment and operation of defensive zones, the consolidation of people’s armed forces, the combination between socio-economic development and defence and security consolidation in some industries and the ability to mobilize resources for defence. These matters, if not overcome timely, will severely affect the country’s defence power, particularly the ability to prevent and repel the risk of conflicts and wars as well as the ability to deal with strategic situations on land, sea sea and in the air. Therefore, building defence potentials requires regular attention of the entire Party, people and armed forces as stipulated by the 12th National Party Congress. To further enhance this work, we should have appropriate awareness of the inner contents of defence potentials, particularly the core ones, then concretize each particular one as a basis for the implementation at levels, industries, forces and localities.
The task of building of political – spiritual potential must be placed at the centre to create efficiency on other potentials. This requires both the inheritance and applicatioin and development of the traditional values to make them relevant in the new situation. That is to promote patriotism, people’s will, belief, historical tradition, and culture, etc in the circumstance that the world and region are seeing complicacies with fast evolutions; the international integration is taking place more deeply and intensively; hostile forces are increasing their acts of sabotage; and our country’s potential and status are being strengthened, etc. Particularly, attention should be paid to consolidate people’s belief in the Party, State and the socialism, in the victory of the country’s cause of renewal, construction and protection. Thereby, we can build up consensus and unanimity to fulfill the national revolutionary cause under the leadership of the Party.
To that end, it is necessary to build party organizations and administration at all levels pure and strong; ceaselessly enhance their leadership capability, combativeness, management skills so that they are truly the key figures in leading, uniting and implementing in the cause of national construction and defence. In the current situation, along with renewing style and method of leading, the Party must resolutely and persistently fight to effectively prevent the degradation in ideology, moral, lifestyle, particularly the corruption, bureaucracy in the political system. At the same time, fostering socio-economic development to improve people’s leaving standards, seriously implementing the Regulations on grassroots democracy; intensifying the national unity; paying attention to promoting and developing traditional cultural values to create spiritual basis and internal strength for the cause of national protection.
Building economic potential for defence cause must include potentials that can be mobilized for defence missions, particularly in dealing with defence situations right in peacetime or in launching the national protection war (in case the war breakout). Therefore, for building this potential, it is necessary to engage all levels, sectors, localities and the entire people. Moreover, it must be done on a regular, long-term, comprehensive, and steady basis throughout the country, with focal points on strategic areas. First, it is necessary to enhance the combination between economic development with defence consolidation in each strategy, plan for development of each branch, sector and locality so that economic growth is linked with the accumulation of these potentials. Meanwhile, it is necessary to pay attention to investing and developing industries towards dual-use direction which are reasonably positioned across the country, serving both civilian needs and defence missions when necessary. In the current situation, in order that economic potential can be transformed into real defence strength in each area and region, besides attaching socio-economic development with building increasingly firm defensive areas at provinces (cities), functional agencies should pay attention to setting up a mechanism to mobilize national economy for defence and military missions in case of contingencies.
As for technological and scientific potential, it is necessary to build and develop within the framework of the general strategy for national technological-scientific development with some specific considerations for mobilizing and serving effectively defence and military missions and national protection (both short term and long term). Accordingly, the building of this potential should be combined closely with the country’s technological – scientific development. On that foundation, strategies and plans for technological – scientific development in the defence field should be actively built and consider one of the driving force for modernization in the armed forces. Attention should also be paid to studying the arts of people’s war in the past resistance wars so as to draw lessons to effectively deal with high-tech weapons in modern warfare. Furthermore, gradually increase investment in researching and developing technological solutions for repairing, producing and mastering modern weapons and equipment. Besides, it is necessary to have robust and synchronous renovation in the organization, management and mechanism of technological – scientific activities and strengthen international cooperation in the field.
Regarding military potential, the key figure among defence potentials, it is necessary to ensure its comprehensiveness and firmness right in peacetime so that it can quickly turn into real defence power in case of contingencies. To that end, along with raising the awareness of all levels, sectors, forces and people of the national defence mission in the new situation, it is necessary to build strong people’s armed forces, particularly the People’s Army and People’s Public Security “revolutionary, regular, seasoned and increasingly modern”. Of which, attention should be paid to building a widespread and strong militia and self defence force, a powerful reserve force in each area and region, that are ready to mobilize. More over, it is also important to develop military science, technology, etc. Continuing to develop defence industry to be capable of manufacturing modern weapons.
Defence potential is one of the key factors which shape national defence. Therefore, the building of this potential requires a close combination of all the above mentioned potentials in unified manner, with a number of creative, synchronous solutions, making contribution to building a strong national defence and firmly protecting the country in any situations.
Major General Tran Viet Khoa
Member of the Party Central Committee
Director of the National Defence Academy