Nowadays, there are both advantages and disadvantages in building the all-people national defence. Hostile forces are pushing up their sabotage with their “Peaceful Evolution” strategy. They are also promoting “self-changes”, “self-transformation” in each person. Meanwhile, awareness of the all-people national defence and people’s security of a number of cadres and party’s members is inadequate. Socio-economic development is not combined well with the strengthening of defence and security; national resources are not deployed appropriately for defence and security. Synergy, mobility, combat capability, especially high-altitude combat, night combat, offshore combat of the military are, to some extent, limited etc. The situation requires that the building of all people defence in the light of “Strategy to safeguard the Homeland” set out by the Central Resolution 8 (XI tenure) must be done more essentially, with more synchronous solutions, focusing on the followings:

First, promoting education and communication to enhance the awareness of branches, localities, forces and all people about building the all-people national defence in the new situation. This is an important and permanent issue for building a comprehensive, independent, self reliance, increasingly modern and all people defence. To this end, party committees, authorities and mass organizations at all levels need to promote education, communication so that people are fully aware of the importance, meaning of the mission of building the all-people national defence to the cause of Homeland protection. This is the mission accomplished by all people, with armed forces being the core, put under the Party’s leadership, the State’s management. Besides, people need to be made to be aware of the neccessity of the combination between socio-economic development with the strengthening of defence and security to make their awareness, perception and actions unified.

Second, building all-people national defence must ensure comprehensiveness and focuses in each branch, field, area, and through out the country. Building defence potentials must be focused on political– spiritual ones; importance must be attached to building political system at all levels, particularly the strong and pure party organizations, authorities and a firm “people’s heart and mind posture”. As for economic potential, it is necessary to accelerate economic growth in combination with enhancing material storage to cater for defence and security mission when needed. Meanwhile, to combine closely socio-economic development with the strengthening of defence and security; accelerate defence industry development to enhance supplying capability for forces. As for scientific and technical potential, it is necessary to study, apply advanced scientific achievements to military technology development in favor of defence mission. As for military potential, it is necessary to enhance military power of the State, ensuring deterring ability right in peacetime and readiness to fight victoriously any aggressive wars of any scales and models. Besides, it is necessary to attach importance to the armed forces and pay attention to the entire people to get ready for widening the forces, conduct people’s war when needed.

Third, promoting “socialization” in the building of all-people national defence to mobilize more resources for this cause. To this end, it is necessary to have decentralization in building the all-people national defence’s; engage social organizations, people of all classes, enterprises, including private and foreign invested ones in the building of the  all-people national defence.

Fourth, combining closely the building of all-people national defence with defence struggle, safeguard the Homeland. This is the creative grasp and apply of the Party’s viewpoints on the relation between the two strategic tasks of constructing and safeguarding the Homeland to the building of the all-people national defence in each field, area, and through out the country. For this reason, this combination need to be grasped and applied creatively with appropriate models and methods. Accordingly, ministries, branches, forces and localities need to catch hold of the situation, define object and partner clearly, appreciate and predict exactly the likely complex situations, particularly in seas and islands, borders and focus areas in defence and security to actively build forces and posture of the all-people national defence for winning the defence struggle.

Lieutenant General, Assoc. Prof. Tran Thai Binh, Ph.D.