The planning of press is of significance to the development, the quality and the efficiency of Army Press. Thus, over the past years, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, first and foremost the General Department of Politics, have attached great importance to the planning of Army Press, including press organs under the Central Military Commission and those under the military regions, services, general departments, institutes, and academies. Accordingly, Army Press has successfully performed its functions, namely dissemination of the Party’s military, defence views and guidelines, and reporting activities of the entire Army, meeting the demand of Homeland construction and protection.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Nghia delivering speech at a press meeting (photo: nhandan.com.vn)

To date, there have been 60 military press agencies licensed by the Ministry of Information and Communications; 7 of which are under the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence; 5 newspapers, online journals and magazines are directly directed and managed by the General Department of Politics. There have been 12 newspapers under the military regions, services, and the Border Defence Force; 41 magazines are under the general departments, academies, institutes, universities, and hospitals. Cadres, journalists, editors, technicians staff have been developed in both quantity and quality, meeting the increasingly higher requirements set by the cause of Army construction and Homeland protection. Under the leadership and direction of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, with the General Department of Politics first, Army Press has always been politically oriented, actively disseminated the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policy and law, military and defence tasks, and activities of the people’s armed forces and the People’s Army. Besides, Army Press has disseminated the national construction and renewal process in economic, cultural, social, diplomatic fields. It has also proactively detected, applauded and multiplied typical examples, serving as a pioneering force to fight against wrongful views and corruption, defending the Party’s ideology and the people’s legitimate benefits, contributing to the orienting of public opinion, creating social consensus, and meeting the ever higher demand on information provision among troops and the people.

In order to continue to promote the role of the Army Press in the cause of building the Army, strengthening national defence, protecting the Homeland in the time ahead, the entire Army, first and foremost organs in charge and press agencies, should seriously realize the  “National plan on press development and management to 2025” Initiative and the plans on realizing the Initiative in the Army During the implementation process, it is necessary to thoroughly grasp resolutions and directions of the Party and the State, first and foremost the Central Military Commission, the National Defence Ministry, and guidance of the General Department of Politics. It is also important to stick with objectives and requirements of each agency to adopt appropriate measures. In order to realize the orientations above, party committees and commanders of agencies, units, organs in charge, and press agencies should focus on the following points:

First, disseminating the necessity of the development plan of the Army Press in the new situation. It is vital to raise responsibility of the commanders on implementing the development plan of the Army Press in accordance with the Initiative, specific characteristics and requirements of propaganda in the time to come. It is also necessary to further disseminate resolutions and directives of the Party and the Government, and normative documents on press and publishing to press and relating agencies; abiding by the Regulations on speech, providing, publishing and processing information on the Internet, managing publications and the publishing. Organs in charge and press agencies, particularly the commanders should be fully aware of and take responsibility for the implementation and inspection of the development plan, at the same time strengthen the collaboration among relative organs and units to realize the plan.

Second, reviewing existed plans and implementing the development plan in line with the “National plan on press development and management to 2025” Initiative and specific characteristics of Army Press. On the basis of grasping the situation and demand for development, press agencies would develop plans and submit them to organs in charge. The reorganizing process of the Army Press should be accordance with the plan, and assuring adequate number of press agencies to enhance the efficiency of propaganda and information provision on military, defence, security tasks and political, economic, culture, and social issues. Press agencies which plan to publish new versions should follow the guideline of the Central Military Commission Standing Committee and the Ministry of National Defence on developing online newspapers, giving priority to versions in English, Chinese, Laotian, Cambodian to strengthen reporting on diplomacy.

Third, attaching great importance to developing resources for the Army Press. Press agencies should focus on selecting, cultivating, and standardizing leaders, especially editor in chief and cadre and journalist staff, facilitating the development and ensuring succession. Journalists in the Army must be really examples in all aspects, actively training themselves and following the example of Ho Chi Minh, always being steadfast, sharp and flexible in every article to deal with complex developments of social life and plots, tricks of hostile forces and political opportunists. In any circumstance, Army journalists must thoroughly grasp and conform to political views and guidelines of the Party, law of the State, regulations and discipline of the Army.

Fourth, modernizing facilities and technical equipment. It is necessary to link the development plan of press agencies with the implementation of the “Modernizing the Army press agencies for 2014-2018” Initiative. In equipping equipment, it is important to consider the compatibility, stay ahead of technology, so as to build and develop an increasingly modern system of the Army Press, meeting the requirements of information in the Army and the whole society. Alongside allocated budget, organs should proactively mobilize their potential resources to invest in their press agencies.

The development plan of the Army Press is a task of paramount importance, aiming to build regular, modern, professional press agencies equal to the development of national and international press. Accordingly, it could help improve the efficiency of information and communication work and create a favourable condition for the Army Press to continue making contributions to the cause of building the Army, strengthening national defence, and protecting the Homeland in the new period.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Nghia

Member of the Party Central Committee

Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics, VPA