Party General Secretary To Lam, Secretary of the CMC attended, presented the title, and delivered a keynote address at the event.
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Party General Secretary To Lam and delegates at the event |
In his remarks, Party chief To Lam emphasized that the founding of the GS on September 7, 1945, shortly after national independence, was a historic milestone marking the regular and professional growth of the revolutionary army. From the beginning, the GS undertook urgent and strategic tasks of organizing southern expeditions to reinforce battlefields in the South, defending the revolutionary government, defeating the French’s strategy, building and expanding the people’s armed forces, and preparing for a protracted resistance war.
Beyond its defense and military tasks, the GS has actively guided the implementation of civil defense work, disaster response, COVID-19 prevention, and rural area development, helping reinforce the enduring image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers.” It has also expanded international defense cooperation, built strategic trust, and enhanced national strength to safeguard the country “early and from afar.”
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Party General Secretary To Lam, Ministry of National Defense's leaders, and delegates view the exhibition held on the sidelines of the ceremony. |
General Secretary To Lam underlined that the historic lesson of “building the nation must go hand in hand with defending it” remains deeply relevant. In the face of complex regional and global developments, as well as intensified sabotage efforts by hostile forces, the mission of safeguarding the Fatherland presents major challenges.
To complete the assigned tasked, the Party chief called on the GS to thoroughly grasp President Ho Chi Minh’s military thought and the Party’s military and defense strategy, especially the strategy for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. He urged it to inherit the essence of national military art while creatively applying modern global military science and technology.
The GS, he stressed, must strengthen its capacity for early research and forecasting, provide timely strategic advice, and pro-actively prevent the risk of war and conflict. It must reinforce the linkage between defense and the economy; continue building a firm all-people defense posture associated with people’s security and the “people’s heart posture”; building strong defensive areas at all levels to suit the two-tier local administration model.
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Party General Secretary To Lam speaks at the celebration. |
He also emphasized the need to strictly control airspace, seas, borders, territory, and cyberspace; adjust strategic deployments and operational plans; and fulfill the military’s three roles as a combat force, a work force, and a production force. Disaster prevention, emergency response, and environmental protection should be treated as “peacetime combat missions.”
Looking ahead, General Secretary To Lam urged the GS to continue improving training and education, promoting scientific and technological development, fostering digital transformation, and streamlining administration within the MND. Equally important, he stressed, is building a strong Party Organization and cultivating a corps of strategic advisors and experts with firm political mettle, sharp strategic vision, and practical competence to ensure success in every mission.
In his speech recalling the GS’s history, GS’s Chief and Deputy Defense Minister General Nguyen Tan Cuong noted that under the leadership of the Party, the General Staff quickly matured and made historic contributions. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, it developed the “three-three formation” structure, strengthened local and guerrilla forces, trained cadres, and shifted toward large-scale concentrated operations. These efforts culminated in decisive victories, most notably the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, which “resounded across the globe.”
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Party General Secretary To Lam presents the certificate of the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces title to the General Staff. |
Earlier that morning, a delegation of the GS led by General Nguyen Tan Cuong offered incense to President Ho Chi Minh and laid wreaths at Bac Son War Martyrs’ Monument in Hanoi in tribute to fallen heroes.
With its outstanding achievements in national liberation, defense, and construction, the GS has been honored with the Gold Star Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order, the First- and Second-class Military Exploit Orders, and many other noble distinctions.
Translated by Tran Hoai