Ba Ria – Vung Tau, which is a coastal province located in the Southern key economic zone, is home to large fishing grounds and hugest reserves of oil and natural gases, becoming one of the centres of energies, heavy industries, tourism, national and international seaport services. This is an advantage for the province to develop its socio-economy quickly among the nationwide leading group. However, this also entails various risks of instability and complexity regarding defence and security over seas and islands. Clearly considering the advantages, difficulties, challenges and the assigned functions and tasks, in recent years, the Provincial Armed Forces have proactively coordinated with services, departments, agencies and other forces to advise the party committees and governments at all levels to lead and direct the construction of all-people national defence combined with the strong people’s security posture, creating favourable conditions for the province to gain fast and sustainable development.

The Provincial Military Command provides food for needy locals

Based on the thorough grasp of the Party’s military and defence viewpoints and guidelines, directly the Strategy on Homeland protection in the new situation, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command have paid attention to advising the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee to improve the state management of defence. The Provincial Military Command has advised the Province to build and issue many resolutions, directives, plans and projects on the local defence and security with detailed targets, guidelines and steps, creating the legal basis for the localities to implement. In particular, they have considered enhancing the socio-economic development combined with strengthening the defence, security and foreign relations; building the all-people national defence posture combined with the people’s security posture; building the potentials and posture of defence zones with the “people’s hearts and minds posture” as the core; planning, investing to build the military posture of defence zones suitably with the features and requirements of the Province. With the motto of “renovation, creativity”, “daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility” in each work and task, the Provincial Military Command and all-level military organs have held the situations, proactively given advice and proposals, and made drastic directions and execution, mobilising the engagement of all forces to create the positive changes in the leadership, direction, operation and management of all-level party committees and governments, and leaders of offices, services, departments and agencies to the local defence and security. Together, the Provincial Military Command has proactively made research and consultation to complete the structure and regulations of the defence zones; strengthened and improved the quality and working effectiveness of steering committees and councils on the task of defence and security, building the defence zones, especially the steering committees of building the zones of defence, people’s air defence, councils of military service, councils of defence and security education, etc. to meet the demands and tasks in the new situation. Hence, the efficiency of leadership, direction, operation and the state management capacity of all-level party committees and governments on the local military and defence have been deeply enhanced.

Building the political and spiritual potentials and creating the strong “people’s hearts and minds posture” are the basic factors to build the strong all-people national defence. Clearly understanding this, the Provincial Armed Forces have actively advised the local party committees and governments to enhance the propaganda, education and training of defence and security knowledge for learners; intensely enhance the propaganda and education in all party committees, people and armed forces about the task of military affairs, defence and protecting the Fatherland. In the implementation, the Provincial Military Command has brought into play its role as the permanent organ of the Council for Defence and Security Education to coordinate with services, departments and agencies to make reforms in implementing the Law on Defence and Security Education, focusing on training the defence and security knowledge to all learners, the key cadres of the political system in particular, at the same time, broadening the training subjects to religious dignitaries, owners of boats and ships and workers in industrial zones in the locality. For many years, the Provincial Military Command has coordinated with services, departments and agencies to effectively conduct the model of “Disseminating the defence and security knowledge to religious dignitaries, officials, clergymen and intern clerics”, which has been highly appreciated by the Province and the Council for Defence and Security Education in 7^th Military Region. The propaganda and dissemination of defence and security knowledge to the entire people have been strengthened with lots of renovation of forms and contents. Therefore, all cadres, party members and people have been better aware and responsible for the task of safeguarding the Fatherland, actively developed the socio-economy, strengthened the defence and security, and built the all-people national defence, people’s security in the local and grassroots levels.

Supplying domestic water for people in drought

Combining the socio-economic development with the reinforcement of defence, security potentials, and the building of the strong defence zones is a key content in building the all-people national defence. Accordingly, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to lead and direct the intense development of main economic sectors, investment into the infrastructure, etc. to provide the material resources for building the defence zones in each area and the entire region. Notably, all the policies, contents and solutions have been concretised by the Province in each tenure and year, even in each project and plan in the motto of being harmonious, effective, determined neither to follow the economic benefits nor to develop the economy at all cost. The Provincial Military Command and the military offices at all levels have proactively coordinated with other agencies to assess hundreds of major projects on developing the socio-economy in the area such as industrial zones and clusters, Cai Mep port, Bien Hoa – Vung Tau expressway, a part of Ring road 4 passing Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, Phuoc An bridge, roads around Vung Tau – Binh Chau beaches, etc. assuring the closeness, high dual-purposes, meeting the demands for both the local economic development and readiness for any defence and security situations. Meanwhile, the Provincial Military Command has advised to build and complete the Project on the military posture in provincial defence zones, the Project on using land and building the combat and logistic-technical bases, other projects on managing the coastal areas, tactically-valued terrains, and other urban buildings; directed other localities to build plans of district military posture, combine the building of defence zones with that of civil defence; at the same time, actively mobilised all resources for gradual constructions as planned. Based on the consultation from the military offices, in the past few years, the Province has invested hundreds of billion to build many important defence structures, adjust and rearrange some residential areas, stations, observatories in the key directions and areas, initially forming the interconnected posture among levels, which has been classified in the groups of leading areas of the 7^th Military Region. The military offices at all levels have advised the party committees and governments, and coordinated with other departments and agencies to build the system of documents and plans on combat, defence mobilisation, people’s air defence, storm and flood prevention, search and rescue, prevention of fire and bushfire, etc. To improve the quality and effectiveness in the working mechanism of defence zones, the Provincial Military Command has advised the Province to build the plan on organising the provincial defence zone exercises and directing other localities to organise the defence zone exercises, civil defence exercise; prevent demonstrations, riots, and terrorists with contents being suitable with their reality. Through these exercises, the Provincial Military Command has timely completed the contents, improved the leadership and direction capability for the party committees and governments at all levels, the level and skill in solving problems for forces, departments, agencies and unions. In these exercises, the Provincial armed forces have conducted some new situations such as preventing terrorism at sea, receiving people from foreign countries, etc., which has brought much precious experience.

The Provincial Military Command has advised the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to bring into play the overall power of the whole political system, intensely built the strong armed forces as the core in the local defence and military affairs. In recent years, the Province has made many solutions for intensely building the regular armed forces in the elite, compact and strong direction; prioritising human resources for units which are doing their tasks of combat readiness, in sea borders or other areas being crucial in defence and security; built the reserve, self-defence force and militia which have enough staff, are strong in ideological politics and suitable with each area, at the same time, effectively implemented Project No. 2930/ĐA-UBND, dated 23 December 2020 by the Provincial People’s Committee on building the forces, training and activities for the self-defence force and militia in the 2010-2025 period; completed the targets of building the “Flotillas of permanent militia taking part in protecting the sovereignty over seas and islands in the new situation” in the 1^st phase according to Project No. 10609/ĐA-BQP, dated 24 September 2018 by the Ministry of National Defence; directed the agencies and areas to well carry out the sourcing, re-examining, checking, managing and organising the training for the reserve; maintained the sources of reserves in the short and long run. Presently, the Province has coordinated with the receiving units to arrange the reserve units, reaching 100% the assigned targets, with the rates of both military and non-military majors being 93.25% (79.09% of them are of military majors) and 15.02% being party members, which is ready for military service if necessary.

Together with building the forces, the Provincial Armed Forces have regularly maintained the regulations and combat readiness; proactively built, completed and enhanced the training according to the determination and combat plans of defence zones, the plans of civil defence, responding and overcoming the natural disasters, search and rescue, at the same time, closely coordinated with the Police according to Decree No. 03/2019/NĐ-CP dated 05 September 2019 by the Government and with the Provincial Border Force, the 2^nd Naval Region and the 3^rd Coast Guard zone to coordinate activities, exchange information, manage the areas, especially the main areas or the ones at sea and sea borders; built and readily implemented solutions for preventing riots, disturbing elements, terrorism, struggling against any types of criminals, maintaining the security and order and avoiding any passiveness and suddenness. The achieved results are the motivation for the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Provincial Armed Forces to continuously bring into play their key role, together with the local party committees, governments and people, to build the gradually strong all-people national defence, meeting the demands for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

Senior Colonel TRAN VAN CU, Commander of the Provincial Military Command