Administrative reform and digital transformation are extremely important and urgent tasks, contributing to enhancing the strength and combat readiness of the Military, meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation. However, as this issue is new, containing many difficulties and challenges in terms of awareness, qualifications, skills and facilities,... it is required that Party committees and commanders at all levels in the Military promote strong determination and take drastic actions together with comprehensive, synchronous and reasonable solutions to successfully complete this important task.

Fully aware of the importance of administrative reform and digital transformation, in recent years, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and its Steering Committee for administrative reform and digital transformation have seriously adhered to the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister, and focused on leading, directing, and operating agencies and units military-wide to act according to the action plan of the Steering Committee for Administrative Reform of the Government, the National Committee on Digital Transformation, and instructions of ministries, branches, and functional bodies. Thanks to the drastic actions of Party committees and commanders at all levels, many positive changes have been seen in the process of administrative reform and digital transformation in the Military. This is evidenced by the fact that the awareness and responsibility of Party committees and commanders at all levels, officers and soldiers regarding this work have been enhanced; programmes and plans have been built and implemented in a prompt manner; targets and requirements have been basically reached on schedule with high quality. Work procedures and document processing have gradually been implemented in the electronic environment as daily routines. The development and promulgation of legal documents, regulations and guidelines on administrative reform, digital transformation and implementation of Project 06 of the Government were carried out strictly and in accordance with the process, providing a legal ground for agencies and units to implement. The process and procedures for handling internal work of agencies and units have been reviewed and simplified to suit the method of handling work in the electronic environment, contributing to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of management and leadership of Party committees and commanders at all levels, etc.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Le Huy Vinh speaks at the Review of administrative reform and digital transformation in 2023 (Photo: qdnd.vn)

To further promote administrative reform and digital transformation to meet the requirements and tasks in the new situation, Party committees and commanders of agencies and units throughout the Military should promote their roles and responsibilities, clearly define tasks, solutions, and breakthroughs, focusing on the following solutions:

First, strengthening education and briefing to create strong changes in awareness and responsibility of cadres, employees, and soldiers of administrative reform and digital transformation in the Ministry of National Defence. Party committees and commanders of agencies and units should continue to promote propaganda and education to make their staff clearly see the inevitable trend and great effectiveness that administrative reform and digital transformation bring about. The content of propaganda and education should be comprehensive, extensive, and suitable for each subject. In particular, emphasis should be placed on resolutions and directives of the Party and Government, policies of the Central Military Commission, plans and projects of the Ministry of National Defence as well as plans and goals of their agencies and units on administrative reform and digital transformation, especially reform of internal administrative procedures associated with digital transformation, implementing digital transformation in all aspects of work.

Party committees and commanders at all levels across the Military should closely follow the plans of the Ministry of National Defence, instructions of the Propaganda Department under the General Political Department to adjust and supplement education and propaganda plans to suit each type of organisation and reality of each agency and unit.

Second, implementing projects and plans on administrative reform and digital transformation in a quality and effective manner. Based on the targets, requirements and tasks in the projects and plans of the Ministry of National Defence and the guiding documents of its Steering Committee for administrative reform and digital transformation of the Ministry of National Defence, Party committees and commanders at all levels throughout the Military should proactively review, inspect and compare the implementation of tasks of their agencies and units, promptly accomplishing the missing and uncompleted tasks. It is necessary to resolutely overcome the shortcomings and limitations that have been pointed out by the competent authorities of the Ministry of National Defence in the notices and conclusions of inspection related to the 06 contents of administrative reform and digital transformation. Continue to review and promptly detect difficulties and "bottlenecks" to proactively remove or advise, propose and recommend measures to competent authorities; complete all assigned targets and tasks in a quality, timely and efficient manner. Continue to accelerate the sending and receiving of electronic documents using digital signatures, especially the use of personal digital signatures for commanders of agencies and units and the settlement of work in the electronic environment. Replicate, exploit and regularly use shared applications of the Ministry of National Defence, specialised applications in agencies and units throughout the Military. Gradually deploy the sending and receiving of classified documents on the military data transmission network; continue to test the Digital Ecosystem on secure wireless transmission infrastructure.

The preliminary review of administrative reform and digital transformation of 2024 at the Border Guards Command

Third, conducting the research, review, supplementation, adjustment and promulgation of legal documents, regulations and guidelines on administrative reform and digital transformation. Agencies and units should focus on researching and reviewing the system of documents, promptly advising and proposing to the MND and its competent agencies, directly the Steering Committee for administrative reform and digital transformation to supplement and amend legal documents, regulations and guidelines that are no longer suitable, creating a synchronous and appropriate legal corridor to bring administrative reform and digital transformation, and the implementation of Project 06 in the entire Military into order with practical results. Complete the development of framework documents for e-Government Architecture version 3.0 towards digital government in the Ministry of National Defence; make plan of data centres of the Ministry of National Defence and master databases in the Ministry of National Defence. Build and replicate pilot units on digital transformation for the entire Military. At the same time, proactively review and report to the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence to issue, within their authority, decisions on plans to reduce and simplify administrative procedures and internal administrative procedures within the scope of management of the Ministry of National Defence and its subordinate agencies and units. Seriously implement the decisions of the Minister of National Defence on assessing and ranking administrative reform and digital transformation indexes of military agencies and units. The relevant authorities should review and carefully study the Digital Transformation Project in the Ministry of National Defence and Directive No. 34/CT-TTg, dated 16 September 2024 of the Prime Minister to propose to the Leaders of the Ministry of National Defence and its Steering Committee for administrative reform and digital transformation the contents that should be focused on, as well as tasks that impacting the fields and industries that need to be adjusted and supplemented in terms of digital transformation for implementation.

Fourth, drawing resources for the tasks of administrative reform and digital transformation. Party committees and commanders of agencies and units should continue to closely coordinate with  military and civil functional organs to focus on researching, proposing, drawing resources to invest in facilities, technical equipment, especially modern technical equipment to serve administrative reform and digital transformation. Attention should be paid to removing and resolving problems related to technology infrastructure, security, data transmission lines; link and share original data to maximise the value of data and avoid waste. Select, recruit, and conduct training to improve the qualifications and enhance the mastery of science and technology for the personnel directly performing administrative reform and digital transformation, and regularly hold training on new and modern science and technology to make sure that this staff are capable of managing, using and operating information technology equipment, digital infrastructure and handling work in the electronic environment, meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation.

Agencies and units should research and propose to the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence measures to ensure the budget to implement the Digital Transformation Project in the Ministry of National Defence and digital transformation tasks, and the implementation of Project 06 for the period 2026 - 2030. The report and proposals of resources to implement administrative reform and digital transformation plans and projects must closely follow the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, instructions of ministries and functional branches, in accordance with the provisions of law, while optimising the resources in implementation; try to avoid waste in investment.

Fifth, ensuring information security and network security to serve administrative reform and digital transformation seriously. Competent agencies of the Ministry of National Defence, directly the 86th Command, the IT engineers of military regions, Army Corps’, military services, academies, schools, etc., should strengthen guidance, monitoring, supervision, and inspection of compliance with regulations on information security and network security. It is required that agencies and units strictly implement regulations on information security and network security for all equipment, products, software and information systems as well as investment projects on information technology, digital transformation, etc. in accordance with the provisions of law, and strengthen the security of information systems according to levels. Continue to assess, determine the level of information security and fully implement the plan to ensure information security according to the approved level for information systems within their scope of management; closely monitor military computer networks, promptly detect, warn, verify, and handle security holes and risks that can cause information insecurity.

Administrative reform and digital transformation in the Ministry of National Defence are important and regular tasks aimed at building a regular and modern Military. This is also an important basis for agencies and units to improve their overall quality and combat strength to meet the requirements and tasks in the new period. Therefore, Party committees and commanders of agencies and units in the entire Military should show higher political determination, take more drastic actions together with a strategic vision and specific roadmap, promote the role and responsibility of the leader, and successfully implement administrative reform and digital transformation in the Military.

Sr. Lt. Gen., Dr. LE HUY VINH, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Minister of National Defence