Over the years, the Political Department of Military Region 3 has proactively given advice to the Military Region’s Party Committee and Command, while directing and guiding the effective implementation of guidelines and measures to build politically strong armed forces within the Military Region. This provides a foundation for the Department to continue affirming its core role in this important task, contributing to making the Military Region’s armed forces “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong and capable of fulfilling all assigned tasks in the new stage of development.

In order to strengthen the Party’s leadership over the armed forces, on 25 March 1946, President Ho Chi Minh signed Decree 34/SL on the organisation of agencies under the Ministry of National Defence. Under this Decree, in war zones across the country, including War Zones 2, 3, and 11 (the predecessors of present-day Military Region 3), Political Offices were established on the basis of Political Sections. This marked a new milestone, affirmed the important role of the political sector in the development of the Military, and later became the Traditional Day of the Political Department of Military Region 3.

A game designed for soldiers during their break on the training ground

In the past 80 years of development, combat, and growth, generations of officers, soldiers, and employees of the Political Department of Military Region 3 have consistently upheld solidarity, proactiveness, and creativity, overcoming difficulties to build an increasingly strong agency. They have successfully fulfilled their function of advising the Military Region’s Party Committee and Command on leading, directing, and guiding the effective performance of party and political work and the building of politically strong armed forces. This has greatly contributed to the growth, strength, and glorious victories of the Military Region’s armed forces, fostering the tradition of “Loyalty, Principle, Solidarity, Creativity”.

Currently, the cause of defence consolidation and Fatherland protection has entered a new stage of development. The task of building politically strong armed forces in the Military Region requires increasingly higher standards, serving as a basis for improving their overall quality and combat strength. This necessitates the Political Department promoting its role, actively, proactively renewing its thinking and methods of conducting party and political work in line with the new situation, thereby contributing to building a typically pure and strong Party organisation and making the armed forces of Military Region 3 “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong and capable of excellently accomplishing all assigned tasks and serving as a firm pillar for local party committees, authorities, and people. To that end, the Political Department’s Party Committee and Command will focus on leading and directing the effective implementation of several key tasks and solutions as follows.

First, giving advice and directions on actively renewing and improving political and ideological education within the Military Region’s armed forces. This is a key and foremost solution to create strong changes in awareness and responsibility among officers and soldiers in building politically strong armed forces within the Military Region. Therefore, the Party Committee and Command of the Political Department will thoroughly grasp and strictly execute Directive 2423-CT/QUTW, dated 9 November 2023, by the Central Military Commission (CMC) Standing Board “On renewing and improving political education in the new period”. At the same time, they will proactively give advice to the Military Region’s Party Committee and Command, and provide directions and guidance on comprehensively, synchronously renewing the content, forms, and methods of education in line with the functions and tasks of each agency and unit. Agencies and units will be directed and guided to complete 100% of the plans for political education and legal dissemination and education in accordance with regulations. Due attention will be paid to intensifying dissemination and education so that officers, soldiers, reservists, and militia and self-defence force will thoroughly grasp Marxism - Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party’s lines, the State’s policies and laws, and the tasks of the Military and the Military Region, as well as those of each agency, unit, and locality. Troops will be educated to clearly identify the plots and tactics of hostile forces, while patriotism, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, national pride, and the heroic tradition of the Military will be strongly fostered among troops.

A specialised training session at Company 3, Battalion 14, Division 395 (photo: qdnd.vn)

To achieve greater effectiveness, the Political Department will direct agencies and units to actively renew and flexibly, creatively adopt various forms and methods, combine traditional and modern methods, and actively apply information technology and digital transformation in order to enhance attractiveness and persuasiveness. Extensive political activities will be organised across the Military Region to effectively implement the “two-commitment, two-acceleration, two-prevention” principles and turn the “five-steadfast”  motto into daily actions, training criteria, and benchmarks for evaluating task performance and the building of agencies and units by both collectives and individuals. The Political Department will regularly provide information and ideological orientations for troops and the people, especially in the face of difficult, dangerous tasks and new, complex, sensitive issues. At the same time, it will proactively make situational forecasts while strengthening efforts to grasp, manage, and effectively handle ideological issues among troops so as to avoid passivity or surprise. It will promote the combined strength of organisations and forces in protecting the Party’s ideological foundation, combating and refuting wrong, hostile viewpoints, building agencies and units with a healthy cultural life, and preventing toxic ideologies and harmful cultural influences. Through these efforts, officers and soldiers will develop firm political resolve, maintain absolute loyalty to the Fatherland, Party, and people, and possess strong confidence and determination to undertake and successfully fulfil all assigned tasks, especially the difficult and dangerous ones.

Second, promoting the Political Department’s role in giving advice, directions, and guidance on enhancing the all-round leadership capacity and combativeness of party committees and party organisations. This is one of the core tasks, serving as both a regular duty and an urgent requirement for building politically strong armed forces in the Military Region. Accordingly, the Political Department will give sound advice to the Military Region’s Party Committee Standing Board on leading and directing all-level party committees and party organisations to continue thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing resolutions and directives on Party building, issued by the Party and the CMC. Emphasis will be placed on new points regarding Party building and rectification identified in the Resolution of the 14^th National Party Congress, in conjunction with the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle, and the CMC’s Resolution 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28 December 2021, on promoting the qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and resolutely combating individualism in the new situation.

Strict adherence to the Party’s organisational principles and activities, especially the principle of democratic centralism, will be ensured; working regulations and regulations on leadership over key areas of work will be regularly reviewed, promptly amended, supplemented, and seriously implemented. The Political Department will advise the Military Region’s Party Committee Standing Board on directing Party organisations to keep building “four-good” grass-roots party organisations and “four-good, three-no” party cells, raising the quality and effectiveness of commune-level military party cells under the two-tier local government model. Great value will be attached to consolidating and building party committees and party organisations in line with the adjustment and reorganisation of agencies and units, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of party  and political work in all tasks, particularly combat readiness, training, exercises, contests, organisational restructuring, regularity building, and discipline management.

Attention will be paid to raising the quality of education, management, and training of party members and strictly implementing regulations on the example-setting responsibility of cadres and party members, on things party members must not do, and on the responsibility of party members working in agencies and units to maintain contact with party organisations and the people in their places of residence. At the same time, efforts will be made to renew and improve the work of inspection, supervision, and party discipline. Violations committed by party organisations and party members will be handled strictly, fairly, accurately, and promptly. Proactive measures will also be taken to combat and prevent manifestations of degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle as well as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the ranks. The evaluation and classification of party organisations and party members will be conducted strictly, substantively. On a yearly basis, 100% of party committees, party organisations, and party members shall strive to fulfil their tasks, with over 90% successfully or excellently completing their tasks.

Third, giving advice, directions, and guidance on building a pool of cadres at all levels in the Military Region’s armed forces on par with their tasks. To effectively perform this “key” task, the Political Department will proactively advise the Military Region’s Party Committee Standing Board to direct party committees of agencies and units to thoroughly grasp, concretise, and strictly implement resolutions, directives, and guidance from higher echelons and the Military Region on personnel work. Priority will be given to building a contingent of cadres, especially key leaders at all levels and those in agencies and units subject to adjustment and reorganisation, with adequate numbers, reasonable structure, exemplary political qualities, pure morality, healthy lifestyle, comprehensive knowledge, great vision, and outstanding capabilities in line with the building of a modern Military. Besides, plans will be developed to effectively realise the Project on “Policies to attract and utilise talents for the Vietnam People’s Army towards 2030, with a vision towards 2050”.

In the process, agencies and units must adhere to criteria and standards and strictly follow principles and procedures for cadres’ recruitment, transfer, appointment, rank promotion, and salary increase. Importance will be attached to seriously conducting the planning of all-level managerial and commanding cadres for the 2025 - 2030 tenure, ensuring inheritance and stability. Cadres will be evaluated via specific criteria and concrete results; those with weak capacity, low responsibility, or low prestige will be relieved without waiting until the end of the tenure or appointment term. Due regard will be paid to ensuring policies for cadres in accordance with regulations. By 2030, 99% of cadres in the Military Region shall hold university or college degrees; 5.2% shall have postgraduate qualifications; 100% shall be proficient in information technology and digital transformation; 91% shall meet foreign language standards corresponding to their positions. For leaders and commanders, 100% shall successfully fulfil their responsibilities and tasks and possess corresponding theoretical qualifications; 70% shall have comprehensive capabilities and truly serve as the core force in building politically strong armed forces in the Military Region.

Furthermore, the Political Department will continue advising, directing, and guiding agencies and units to well perform internal political protection work and policy work for the Military and military families, and build strong mass organisations and soldiers’ councils in accordance with their functions and tasks. Consideration will be given to stepping up mass mobilisation, cementing military - civilian solidarity, and building an increasingly firm “people’s hearts and minds posture” within the Military Region. Doing so will contribute to making the Military Region’s armed forces politically strong and continuously improving their overall quality and combat strength to meet the requirements of safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

Maj. Gen. NGUYEN NAM TIEN

Director of the Political Department of Military Region 3