Nowadays, international integration in defense industry is inevitable to bring into play the integrated strength to build and develop Vietnam defense industry so that it can meet the requirements of the mission of constructing and protecting the Fatherland. To ensure an effective and oriented integration for the industry, it is necessary to grasp all the opportunities, challenges, and be determined to pursue the goals and orientation set out.
Implementing the orientation “multilateralism and diversification of relations, proactive and positive international integration”, Vietnam has been carrying out its international integration policy in all fields, one of which is defense industry (DI). That viewpoint has been specified in the Resolution 27-NQ/TW of the Politburo (IX Tenure) and the Resolution 06-NQ/TW of the Politburo (XI Tenure) on “Building and developing defense industry till the year 2020 and forth. That is: building and developing defense industry is the basic mission which is both urgent in short term and strategic in long term…practicing self-reliance, bringing into play internal resources in combination with broaden international cooperation to make use scientific and technological achievements and other resources, in order to have access to new technology in producing advanced and modern weapons and technical equipment (WTE)
For the past years, significant achievements have been gained during the implementation of this policy which helped solve many urgent problems both in the short term and in the long term. From being dependent mainly on foreign supplies of WTE via military aid mechanism, we are now, as a result of economic development, able to cater for all the demands of the armed forces through international trading mechanism or through investing in DI’s research and production. This is a fundamental change in the relationship between Vietnam and its partners in the international market of weapon trading and military technology transferring. At the same time we have gradually integrated, signed and strictly complied with international rules on weapon inspecting, on the basis of ensuring member nations’ interests and respecting international law. By broadening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, joining international and regional organizations, setting up strategic partner relations, signing intergovernmental cooperation agreements on economy, defense, military technology…our country’s status has been upgraded, ID has been provided with favourable conditions in approaching and broadening its relations, technology transferring, human resource training, technical device trading with different partners in the world. Since Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization, many of its enterprises have enjoyed high growth rate with export sales estimated at tens of millions USD per annum. Success of international cooperation projects in the field of DI has initially contributed to reaffirming the country’s pledge: Viet Nam is a trustful partner, respectful of its international commitments and responsible for peace keeping operations in the world; at the same time, made certain progress in the quality of researching, designing, and manufacturing ability of the DI.
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A number of ships of this kind have been built by Vietnam's defence industry |
However, DI has also shown some shortcomings in its international integration both in the micro-management orientation and in practice, namely: inadequacies of the cooperation in researching, referencing, negotiating and enforcing international legal documents relating to DI activities; inadequate knowledge of international laws of functional bodies and enterprises doing military trading; the timely and exact update of information of “rules” and “players” in the international market of weapon and military technology; experience and skills in negotiation, foreign language capability; compliance with regulations on secrecy safeguarding, management process and procedures in military trading of some units in the industry…remain serious problems which take time and high determination to solve. More effort need to be put into the struggle to remove barriers and embargoes of some countries against Vietnam in military goods transaction and technology (especially high-end) transferring.
Those constraints and difficulties result from a number of reasons, some of which are directly related to particular traits of DI. As being one of the components of the national industry, DI’s international integration cannot be separated and isolated from the general mission, as well as regulations, policies, laws… of the national economy. Yet, compared with civil industries, DI often faces more barriers in its integration. As the production of WTE relates directly to the national defense’s interests, and national security, DI’s integration must comply with special regulations on safety, security, choosing partners, ensure the self-reliance in the event of blockage and embargo, maintain and develop a core technical staff…Not only in the international market, but right in the domestic one, some foreign partners exert discrimination, transacting and bidding limits on Vietnamese DI’s enterprises in economic activities. Those objective factors certainly have considerable influence on the competitive capability, chance to invest, access information and diversify partners of DI.
Moreover, difficulty in international integration of DI also comes from specific figures of international market of weapon and military technology. In this market, there exist very strict rules which are unfavourable for low-level DI developed countries. Goods and services traded in the international market of weapons and military technology are not objects of adjustment of WTO and other international treaties relating to global free trade trend. On the contrast, weapon and military technology trading and transfers are governed by many particular documents, including multilateral, bilateral and even unilateral rules of some influential powers. Globalization, specialization and internationalization in the field of DI happen at a slower pace in comparison with other civil industries. Apart from an interconnected DI model among countries in EU, most nations in the world, in their DI development strategy, build their self-reliant ability, and minimize their dependence on the outside sources. In the framework of developing an ASEAN Community until 2015, some country members have proposed cooperation in DI. However, discussions on this issue just gave out information on ideas and far perspective. Therefore, it takes time to start negotiation and promote actual cooperation in reality.
WMT trading is a matter of special susceptibility in international relations. It has direct influence on trust building, the maintenance of a stable and peaceful environment in the world and in related regions. Interest conflict in competing for customer in this special market may result in an arms race and a “cold war” at different levels both in the world and in each region. In reality, there have been cases in which development programs of long range offensive weapons, weapons of mass destruction, or “out of control” trading are used to create reason for punishments, sanctions, or even for waging a war. For this reason, international integration in DI must be considered as an indispensable “channel” of international integration process in the field of defence and security with increased stability, essence, and effectiveness. At the same time, DI’s international integration must be taken with appropriateness, activeness, and positiveness, strictly obey Vietnamese laws as well as other international commitments.
According to the Party’s guidelines, DI international integration must be closely linked with the orientation of political mission of the industry in the cause of developing and defending the nation, ensuring the combination between defense and economy. As of the national defense mission, this process must contribute to consolidating defense potentials of the nation, safeguarding the independence, sovereignty, unity, and integrity, firmly defending Vietnam socialist Fatherland. This task must be integrated in the international integration strategy in defense and security. Meanwhile, it is necessary to focus on effective and direct serve for researching, designing, manufacturing, repairing, innovating, and modernizing WTE. DI’s international integration also aims to exploit effectively foreign resources, receive and absorb new technology, get managerial experience, train human resource, develop military science potentials, make contribution to modernizing the VPA and the Vietnam People’s Police, strengthening national defense and security strength, and protecting the Fatherland. As influenced directly by international context, DI’s international integration is facing new challenges as well as opportunities. In fact, this is one of the issues in which cooperation and struggling are intertwined. Therefore, in the process, we have to both protect national interests and attach importance to the comprehensive effectiveness in terms of politics, economic, national defense, security…successfully carry out international integration in the field of DI, security, build trust, maintain peace and stability in the region and in the world.
In terms of the mission of combining economy and defense, international integration must support for the enhancement of contributory effectiveness of DI to the industrialization and modernization of the country. This has put an urge for a deeper involvement of DI into international economic integration, the enhancement of national competitiveness, market widening, new resource attraction for the sustainable growth and economic restructuring. As of core DI enterprises, international integration is a necessity to bring into play their dual-use fortes, promote production, business activities, boost exports, attract new technology, keep human resource and improve living standard for employees…
In the coming time, to enhance and promote the effectiveness of DI’s international integration, it is necessary to carry out the following solutions:
First, to grasp thoroughly viewpoints, guidelines of the Party on military, defense, and foreign affairs; strengthen the unity in strategic orientation and executive direction on the DI’s international integration, ensuring the country’s interests in the context of international integration in the fields of defense, security, economy in accordance with internal resources and demand for development of Vietnam’s DI.
Second, to enhance the effectiveness of inter-industry coordination among state’s bodies and the Ministry of National Defense in the implementation of guidelines as well as specific tasks. Specially, it is necessary to have a more synchronous link in identifying, choosing partners, studying, negotiating and enforcing international legal documents, as well as striving to remove barriers, creating favourable environment for DI’s international integration. Study to build and issue and synchronize Vietnamese legal documents on DI, consolidate DI’s management system in accordance with requirements of international integration.
Third, to continue to promote integration into international market of WTE on the basis of ensuring goals, effectiveness, interests and strictly comply with Vietnamese laws and its international commitments; accelerate the export of economic products, dual-use products and some conventional weapons made domestically. To manage closely military trading, stay vigilant and away from activities in the international black market of weapon, overcome the embargoes of some countries, settle sensitive matters in the international relations in weapon and military technology trading, not to be damaged by sabotages of the enemies.
Fourth, to continue to widen, diversify cooperation relations, joint-venture mechanism to attract new foreign resources, serving for the DI’s building and development; pilot some new models and methods in DI’s cooperation with strategic partners, other countries in the region and with some multinationals...At the same time, exploit other foreign resources such as overseas Vietnamese, foreign professional, …
Fifth, to create a favourable environment so that DI’s enterprises can actively and positively broaden their market, realize their objectives, reach higher quality and effectiveness in the process of international integration; promote training to enhance knowledge of international law and practices in military trading; raise competitive capability, strictly comply with regulations on security and secret safeguarding; link DI’s enterprises with those of national industry in international integration and in joining the global supply chain both in manufacturing and in exporting economic products.
Our Party and State’s consistent viewpoint is that developing military potential is for self-defense and the prerequisite to firmly safeguard independence, sovereignty, unity, and integrity of the Fatherland, national interests… In the process of modernizing the military, DI’s development and integration are aimed to make the VPA a revolutionary, regular, seasoned and gradually modernized army which is able to hold firmly the Vietnam socialist Fatherland.
Major General, Assoc. Prof. DOAN HUNG MINH, Ph.D
Vice Chairman of The General Department of Defense Industry