Distinguished members of the Presidium,
Distinguished delegates and esteemed guests,
The Military Party Organisation delegation expresses its high consensus with the draft Documents submitted to the 14th National Party Congress. These draft Documents have been prepared meticulously, comprehensively; they have profoundly summarised practical experience, identified breakthrough, pioneering strategic orientations, and affirmed the resolve and aspirations of the entire Party, people, and Military in the era of national rise towards a prosperous country.
I would like to present my topic on: Building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern People’s Army capable of playing a core role in developing strong, modern all-people national defence closely linked with people’s security and “people’s hearts and minds posture”.
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| Military Party Organisation delegation at the 14th National Party Congress (photo: VNA) |
Distinguished delegates and esteemed guests,
Over the past five years, the global and regional situation has evolved rapidly, complicatedly. Strategic competition among major powers, conflicts, wars, and arms races have erupted and seriously threatened global peace and security. Science and technology have developed robustly and created breakthroughs in many fields; new strategic domains and forms and modes of warfare have emerged.
Domestically, hostile forces have intensified their sabotage efforts against our revolution. Non-traditional security challenges, such as Covid-19 pandemic, natural disasters, storms, floods, landslides, and increasingly severe climate change have caused adverse consequences.
Against that backdrop, our Party and State have implemented many historic policies and decisions and achieved major accomplishments. The revolution to streamline the political system’s apparatus, together with strategic solutions, has created new development space, including in the military and defence sector. The guidelines on building a revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) under the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress have been realised synchronously, resolutely, effectively. The VPA has upheld and promoted its fine qualities and the nation’s heroic traditions, remaining united, proactive, and creative, making great efforts to overcome difficulties and challenges and comprehensively fulfil its tasks as follows.
First, the VPA has firmly protected national independence and territorial sovereignty, enhancing the country’s position and international prestige, maintaining a peaceful, stable environment for national construction and development. It has given advice to the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat on issuing important resolutions, strategies, and conclusions regarding military and defence affairs, thus meeting both immediate and long-term requirements set by Fatherland protection.
Second, all-people national defence and the posture of all-people national defence linked with people’s security and the posture of people’s security, military region defence, and defensive zones have been strengthened. Awareness and a sense of responsibility among the entire political system and people towards Fatherland protection have been raised. Defence disposition has been adjusted in line with socio-economic development strategies, new administrative boundaries, and the two-tier local government model. The VPA has well promoted its vanguard, core role, promptly deploying its forces in key and hazardous areas, proactively coordinating with other forces in disaster and epidemic prevention and control, search and rescue, and environmental incident response, helping the people with hunger eradication and poverty reduction, building new-style rural areas, especially in border, sea, island, remote, economically disadvantaged regions, truly becoming “a pillar for villages and fishermen”, contributing to cementing the people’s faith in the Party and building a firm “people’s hearts and minds posture”. International integration and defence diplomacy have continued to be one of the pillars of Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy, contributing to raising the position and prestige of the country and the VPA itself.
Third, focusing investment on building a revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern VPA, with several services, arms, and forces moving straight to modernity; the reorganisation of an “adept, compact, strong” VPA has been basically completed. Up to now, over 5,000 organisations across the VPA have been adjusted; manpower has been prioritised for units tasked with combat readiness and units stationed in border, sea, island areas. The quality of education and training has improved; high-quality human resources have been developed; there have been robust breakthroughs in science, technology, and innovation. A dual-purpose, modern defence industry has been built and developed, with some areas making breakthroughs and reaching targets ahead of schedule; some foundational and core technologies have been mastered; many types of modern, strategic weapons and equipment, as well as specialised fuels and dual-use hi-tech products have been manufactured, thereby making contributions to strengthening defence and security potential and advancing national industrialisation and modernisation. These brilliant results have basically created sufficient conditions to build a modern VPA and strong, modern all-people national defence five years earlier than stipulated in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.
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| Gen. Phan Van Giang, Member of the Politburo, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defence addresses the Congress |
Distinguished delegates and esteemed guests,
Building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA capable of playing a core role in developing strong, modern all-people national defence closely linked with people’s security and people’s hearts and minds posture is an inevitable requirement for national development in the new era. To that end, it is necessary to focus on effectively implementing the following key tasks and solutions.
Firstly, firmly building a politically strong VPA closely bonded with the people, maintaining and strengthening the Party’s absolute, direct leadership in all aspects and the State’s unified management and administration. Due attention should be paid to building a pure, strong, exemplary, highly combative Military Party Organisation capable of effectively realising the Party’s lines and the State’s policies and laws; there should be breakthrough policies to attract and utilise talents, and build smart, modern military schools; cooperation in training and developing cadres both at home and abroad should be enhanced; scientific and technological capacity should be improved.
Secondly, continuing to organise the VPA in an “adept, compact, strong” manner, ensuring a synchronous, rational organisational structure. It is important to perfect regulations on functions and tasks, and mechanisms of leadership, management, and command. Due regard should be paid to raising the quality of training and education, stepping up training to master weapons and equipment, especially modern systems, enhancing the quality of exercises in line with the requirements of Fatherland protection against all operational tactics and forms of warfare. Consideration should be given to maintaining discipline, building a healthy military cultural environment, and promoting the cultural values of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new period.
Thirdly, investing in developing an autonomous, self-reliant, dual-purpose, modern defence industry, researching, designing, manufacturing, improving, and modernising strategic weapons and technical equipment to modernise the VPA and raise the VPA’s combat power.
Fourthly, stepping up international integration and defence diplomacy, strengthening bilateral and multilateral exchanges, training, and exercises, especially on non-traditional security challenge response. It is essential to take advantage of cooperation in transferring advanced technologies and resources to build a modern VPA, thus contributing to maintaining a peaceful, stable environment for national construction and development, realising the principle of defending the Fatherland early and from afar.
Fifthly, promoting the VPA’s core role in building strong, modern all-people national defence and a firm people’s hearts and minds posture. It is vital to closely, effectively combine defence and security with socio-economic development and foreign affairs. The role of corps, economic - defence zones, and border guard units should be heightened to encourage the people to actively participate in building strong all-people national defence, people’s security, and defensive zones in every locality and strategic direction of the Fatherland.
Distinguished delegates and esteemed guests,
Promoting patriotism and the strength of great national unity, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence are determined to build a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA capable of successfully fulfilling its three functions as an army ready for combat, for work, and for production, firmly protecting the Fatherland, and contributing to developing a prosperous, civilised, happy country towards socialism.
Thank you very much!