Whole Army’s Political-Military Conference concluded

PANO – The 2012 Whole Army’s Political-Military Conference was successfully closed on the afternoon of December 24^th. Representatives of defence agencies and military units across the Defence Organisation reached strong consensus on the assessment of the results of military-political activities of agencies and units across the Defence Organisation in 2012; measures to overcome weaknesses and limitations; and directions for 2013.

The whole Army’s 2012 Military-Political Conference started on December 23^rd and lasted until the end of December 24^th under the chairmanship of Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Defence Minister, General Phung Quang Thanh.

On the morning of December 24^th, the Conference heard a report summarizing defence and military activities in 2012 and discussed defence, political and military directions and missions for the whole Army in 2013.

The delegates were also heard a summary of the “Determined to Win” movement; participated in a ceremony to mobilize the “Determined to Win” movement in 2013; carefully looked at the Specific Resolution on the improvement of politico-military training in the current situation, and reviewed the 5-year results of the implementation of Resolution 382 issued by the Central Military Commission on the leadership of technical works in the new situation.  

The Conference listened to constructive opinions and ideas on the draft reports, but highly agreed on the assessments by the Central Military Commission and Defence Ministry.

Key results gained

Ideas and opinions focused on analysing situations and the task performances of agencies and units in 2012 and highlighting the leadership of the Central Military Commission and Party organizations at all levels across the Defence Ministry. During the year, commands and Party committees at all levels successfully led their units in implementing the decrees and resolutions of the Party, State, Government and Defence Ministry. In general, agencies and military units of the Defence Ministry fulfilled all assigned tasks, many with excellent results.

Politico-military training saw noticeable positive changes in 2012. Units actively prepared and well organized training sessions, linking with factual situations and seriously following their higher commands’ instructions. Many military units drew up comprehensive, effective measures to improve the quality of training and strictly maintain military discipline, aiming at the model of comprehensively strong units in line with Instruction 917 by the General Staff; as a result, the number of serious discipline problems was markedly reduced.

Meanwhile, defence academies and schools focused on the renovation of teaching methods meeting the requirements for education and training standards; boosted scientific research; perfected education and training programmes; and actively acquired modern equipment meeting the requirements to improve the quality of education and training in the new situation.

In central agencies and localities across the country, key civilian cadres were provided defence and military knowledge via various courses. In 2012, as many as 221 cadres at level 1; 4,319 cadres at level 2; and 27,997 cadres at level 3 attended defence and military courses.

Defence agencies and military units also participated in preventing natural disasters and overcoming the aftermath; search and rescue; extinguishing wildfires; detecting and defusing bombs, mines and explosives as well as cleaning dioxin-polluted areas; and assisting local people in their lives and production.   

Party committees at all levels of defence agencies and military units regularly organized political training classes to brief officers and soldiers on new situations, to increase their awareness of new Party resolutions at all levels and instructions from the Defence Ministry and higher commands; and to direct their political views. At the same time, commands and Party committees frequently encouraged their subordinate individuals and organizations and multiplied outstanding models on time. Therefore, there appeared more excellent individuals and organizations - examples of good lifestyle, morality, high spirit and will to overcome difficulties and sacrifice for complete tasks.     

People mobilization was also carried out comprehensively and effectively with the united leadership. During the year, the Army assisted people with 389,772 working days; repaired 216 school classes; built and upgraded 1,067 km of rural transport roads and 839 km of dykes; planted 2,295 ha of forests; built and offered policy beneficiaries 1,954 homes of gratitude, great unity or comradeship; and provided free check-ups and medicines for 185,158 people, especially in mountainous areas.

General Phung Quang Thanh

Applying measures synchronously and drastically

The Conference continued with discussions of the missions, solutions and directions in 2013. Delegates gave a number of good ideas for the draft documents. They emphasized the need to boost training of various combat readiness plans, to build a sufficient reserve force and well organize training for local militia forces.

Delegates also underlined the need to enhance training with new weapons and equipment for troops, especially air-defence and air force, naval air force and maritime police’s air force, as well as building the people’s air-defence posture in line with the Instruction on air-defence operations from the Chief of the General Staff.

They also provided some measures to better manage troops, strictly keep military discipline in military units, and minimize discipline violation cases.

According to delegates, political education was central to military units. Commands and Party committees should always grasp troops’ thinking, direct their thoughts and acts, and actively struggle against wrong views, and “peaceful evolution” plots of hostile forces.

To successfully implement the Specific Resolution of the Central Military Commission on the leadership of logistics towards 2020 and the following years, the logistics sector should continue to boost self-sufficient production movements across the Army and ensure food sources for all units in all situations, especially for forces serving in border and island areas.

Meanwhile, the technical sector should strictly implement Resolution 382- NQ/ĐUQSTW on the leadership of technical work in the new situation, as well as ensure the high quality of weapons and equipment in units across the military and actively upgrade, modernize and effectively exploit the staffed weapons and equipment.    

To conclude the Conference, the Defence Minister stated:

Agencies and units under the Defence Ministry reached a number of encouraging achievements in 2012. Military training drives were carried out as planned with higher quality; manoeuvres, especially military exercises in defensive zones, saw many good results; forces’ capabilities to guard the national airspace, seas and islands were increased; and crime prevention, especially against smuggling, drug trafficking and piracy, became more effective.

The People’s Army Newspaper and other defence and military press agencies took the lead in the Party’s thinking front and contributed much to information and political education work in the Defence Organisation.

The Defence Minister praised officers, soldiers and defence workers across the Defence Organisation, as well as militia forces for their good performance of defence and military tasks in 2012.

Regarding the tasks in 2013, the Defence Minister noted that units, forces and the Army as a whole should heighten their alert, strictly maintain high combat readiness and frequently study and grasp the situation to avoid being in a passive position in any case. He also stressed that defence forces should promote good relations with other nations, especially neighbouring ones, and ensure security and safety for legitimate economic activities in the sea.

The Defence Minister also released that the Navy, Air Defence and Air Force and Maritime Police would receive a number of modern weapons and equipment in 2013. Therefore, these forces should boost the training, management and maintenance of the new weapons and equipment in order to quickly master them and effectively use them in training and national protection.

The Defence Minister also addressed a number of issues raised by delegates during the Conference.