Army must keep improving itself to deserve people’s trust: President

Hanoi (VNA) – Amid complicated and unpredictable global and regional situations, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) must always stay alert and continually improve its combat strength so as to deserve being the faithful and trustworthy political and combat force of the Party, State and people.

President Tran Dai Quang, Chairman of the Defence and Security Council and Commander of Armed Forces, made the remark during a working visit to the Ministry of National Defence at the Mieu Mon training centre in Hanoi on October 17.

Reporting about the VPA’s performance in 2017, Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff of the VPA, said the army has fulfilled assigned tasks well, including advising the Party, the State and local authorities about military-defence tasks, along with training, organising drills and being ready to combat.

He added that it has coordinated with police and other forces to deal with arising situations in a timely manner, thus establishing itself as the core force in protecting the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and border, airspace, sea and island security . The VPA is also the key force in addressing natural disaster consequences, search, rescue, and settling war consequences. It has also effectively taken part in reinforcing local political systems.

Speaking at the working session, President Quang applauded the Defence Ministry’s achievements in leading and instructing the realisation of military-defence tasks.

He asked the Central Military Commission and the ministry to continue implementing resolutions of the Party Central Committee well, the targets and tasks set in the resolution of the army’s 10th Party congress, along with the tasks assigned by the Party, the State and people.

They need to have a firm grasp of the situation and advise the Party and State about socio-economic development associated with defence and security, he said, adding that they also have to step up building a revolutionary, regular and elite VPA that is gradually modernised.

The Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry need to keep optimising the combined strength of different forces, be active, creative and steadfast in achieving the set targets, and ensure safety during training, drills, search and rescue. It is also necessary to boost communications to raise people and armed forces’ awareness of the Party, State and people’s attention to the army, the President added.

He told them to strengthen the Party building and clean-up, fight the degradation of thought, morality and lifestyle, self-evolution and self-transformation in the army’s Party organisation, and continue studying and following late President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style.

The commission and the ministry have to work closely with police and relevant forces to defeat all sabotage plots and activities of hostile forces, keep political security and social order and safety, and ensure absolute safety for important events, especially upcoming activities of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Quang noted.-VNA