Political - spiritual factor is not only a fundamental component shaping Signal Troops’ synergy and combat strength, but also an objective requirement arising from the practical task of building a modern Military Signal Force and new changes in organisational structure and the art of ensuring communications support for modern warfare. This is an urgent issue that requires in-depth research into synchronised and effective solutions.

National Defence Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang inspects and encourages signal troops during their communications support for HN-24 Exercise (photo: qdnd.vn)

When discussing the political - spiritual factor, V.I. Lenin affirmed that: “In every war, victory ultimately depends on the spirit of the masses who are shedding their blood on the battlefield”. Imbued with this thought, in his direction over the building of revolutionary armed forces, President Ho Chi Minh also clearly stated that: “Politics is more important than military matters”, and “Military affairs without politics are like a tree without roots - useless and even harmful”. The course of over 80 years of construction, combat, and development of the Vietnam People’s Army (the VPA) has also proven that the political - spiritual factor constitutes the core element and source of our VPA’s combat strength and victories. It functions as the “adhesive glue” that binds all elements together, transforming them into the VPA’s overall quality, comprehensive strength, and combat capability.

Fully aware of this, over the past years, the Signal Corps and signal units throughout the VPA have implemented synchronised, effective measures to build and promote the political - spiritual factor. As a result, cadres and soldiers have always maintained their political steadfastness and unwavering commitment to the VPA’s combat objectives and ideal, turning the political - spiritual factor into tangible strength and successfully accomplishing all assigned tasks. In every task, Signal Troops have consistently upheld a strong sense of responsibility in planning, building, and developing a modern communications system. They have proactively mastered modern weapons and technical equipment, ensuring excellent communications and combat readiness under all circumstances, thereby bolstering the tradition of “timeliness, accuracy, secrecy, safety”.

Today, given the rapid development of science and technology, increasingly diverse forms of electronic warfare and cyber warfare during hi-tech wars are imposing more demanding requirements on Signal Troops. To fulfil the tasks, alongside the firm grasp and strict implementation of the amended and supplemented “Strategy for military communications system development for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045”, special attention should be paid to building and promoting the political - spiritual factor in every stage and step of the building of a modern Military Signal Force. This is both an objective requirement and internal need of the military signal force. To that end, several key solutions are proposed as follows.

First, strengthening the leadership and direction of Party committees and commands at all levels is a guiding solution of decisive significance. Thus, all-level Party committees, Party organisations, and commands should continue to build politically strong units as the basis for enhancing their overall quality and combat strength. Priority should be given to making Party committees and Party organisations strong in terms of politics, ideology, ethics, organisation, and personnel. The quality of resolutions should be raised by linking leadership content with each unit’s practical issues and ensuring feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness. In the context of an open, fast-paced, and multi-dimensional information environment, Party committees, Party organisations, and commands at all levels need to actively innovate methods of leadership over Party and political work across all tasks. Leadership and direction must closely align with the characteristics and requirements of communications assurance in modern warfare and tasks such as search and rescue, riot control, and communications support for high-level events. Cadres and Party members, especially key leaders, should uphold their responsibility for setting good examples, improve their task performance, and become the core in building and promoting the political - spiritual factor within their units.

Signal Corps excellently fulfils its communications assurance task during the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (photo: qdnd.vn)

All-level political agencies should further improve their advisory work, strengthen their direction, guidance, and inspection, foster and replicate typical examples, effective models, and creative approaches, opportunely detect and correct shortcomings arising in the process of building and promoting the political - spiritual factor within each unit.

Second, raising awareness and a sense of responsibility among organisations and forces in promoting Signal Troops’ political - spiritual factor. As part of social consciousness formed and developed on the basis of worldview, beliefs, ideal, emotions, and political will, the political - spiritual factor does not arise spontaneously. Instead, it is cultivated through a continuous and systematic process of education, consolidation, and development linked to practical activities. Therefore, in addition to political - ideological education to raise troop awareness of viewpoints and policies on building a politically strong VPA, signal units need to intensify educational work relating to the role and significance of the political - spiritual factor. Emphasis should be placed on clarifying the political - spiritual factor’s structure, core components, and current state and the urgency of promoting this factor in the new era, especially in the building of a modern military signal force.

In the educational process, it is essential to closely combine ideological education with organisational work and policy work. Educational content should be concretised into goals and targets, while action plans, responsibilities, and supervision mechanisms should be clearly defined. At the same time, it is important to renew forms and methods of education towards modernity, practicality, and effectiveness. Due regard should be paid to flexibly applying and combining information technology with seminars, youth forums, contests, and task simulation.

Party committees and political commissars at all levels should fulfil their core roles in education and dissemination. Cultural institutions and mass media within units should be utilised to create a rich and attractive educational environment. Youth Unions, Women’s Unions, and Trade Unions at all levels should promote their pioneering and creative roles in organising political - spiritual activities closely aligned with the central political tasks of each unit. Agencies and units should cooperate with relevant sectors and local people in their stationed and operational areas in dissemination and education, jointly building a healthy, sustainable environment, fostering stronger attachment, trust, and motivation among troops in training and task execution.

Third, renewing content and flexibly, creatively applying forms and measures to promote the political - spiritual factor among Signal Troops. At present, the rapid development of information technology and digital communications has profoundly changed the way people access information. Therefore, promoting the political - spiritual factor among Signal Troops must be comprehensively renovated in terms of content, form, and measure, with the aim of fully harnessing scientific and technological advances to enhance the effectiveness of disseminating and fostering the political - spiritual factor.

In terms of content, emphasis should be placed on practical issues that are closely linked to the daily life and tasks of signal cadres and soldiers. This includes linking content with the distinctive characteristics, such as high technicality and the requirements for accuracy, timeliness, and secrecy. It is necessary to stay close to current information assurance tasks and provide accurate forecasts for the requirements of information warfare. Education and training should be orientated towards both comprehensiveness and focalisation. Besides, there should be strong ideological orientations to strengthen political steadfastness, nurture revolutionary emotions and faith, and bolster political will among troops.

With regard to forms and measures, diversification is essential, ranging from traditional political activities to the application of digital technologies, such as videos, infographics, internal social media platforms, and digitalised learning materials. Content on promoting the political - spiritual factor should be integrated into daily routines, training, and communications assurance. Regularly organising knowledge contests, cultural and artistic exchanges, and sport activities will help create a vibrant atmosphere and encourage broad participation among cadres and soldiers.

Fourth, building a favourable environment at grass-roots signal units to inspire and promote Signal Troops’ political - spiritual factor. Accordingly, grass-roots units should focus on building a firm political and ideological environment, creating a democratic atmosphere that enables soldiers to express their aspirations and actively participate in unit building. Improving the quality of the military cultural environment with diverse cultural institutions will help individuals cultivate and perfect the qualities and character of a revolutionary soldier, thereby increasing their “resistance” against negative external influences, particularly those arising from today’s cyberspace. To achieve high effectiveness, agencies and units should study and develop a system of criteria on political ideology, standards of conduct, and core moral values of the modern military signal force, and implement them in a synchronised manner as the foundation for developing the political - spiritual factor among Signal Troops. Importance should be attached to training troops through practical tasks. The scientific organisation of activities and tasks, from simple to complex, from low to high levels, will help foster determination and willpower. At the same time, opportunely detecting and correcting any signs of wavering ideological stance, declining faith, or lack of responsibility in task performance are of critical importance.

Fifth, completing and synchronising mechanisms, policies, and resources to create a synergistic impetus for promoting the political - spiritual factor. Party committees and commands at all levels should demonstrate flexibility in carrying out preferential policies to ensure fairness and full entitlements for cadres and soldiers, thereby creating strong motivation to promote their political - spiritual strength. Policies should be reviewed and supplemented in an appropriate fashion, especially for cadres and soldiers performing tasks in remote, border, and island areas. Concurrently, investment should be made in infrastructure and equipment to meet troops’ living and working needs. In addition, efforts should be intensified to foster a spirit of dedication, determination, accountability, “daring to think, daring to speak, daring to act, daring to take responsibility, daring to innovate, daring to face difficulties and challenges, and daring to act for the common good”. Continuous attention should be paid to effectively implementing policies regarding military families and actively cooperating with local authorities in assisting soldiers’ families facing hardships. Doing so will enable troops to devote themselves wholeheartedly to their tasks.

If the above solutions are implemented seriously and effectively, they will significantly contribute to promoting Signal Troops’ political - spiritual factor and building a modern, strong Military Signal Force capable of meeting its task requirements in the new context.

Sr. Col. VU DUY HAI

Political Commissar of Signal Officer College