Security and defence are a great cause for the nation, said Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh while visiting the National Defence Academy (NDA) on July 16.

Speaking to the academy’s staff, the Party leader said that security and defence are always an essential and permanent task of the State, the political system and the entire people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

Above all others, the whole Party, people and army must be fully aware of and skilfully apply the close combination of two strategic tasks: building and protecting the country. Economic development, he stressed, should be always coupled with security and defence.

The Party leader, however, noted that the cause of national protection in the new situation is posing both pressing and long-term issues.

As a strategic and leading academy in the defence and security sector, the NDA plays a very important role and undertakes extremely vital duties, he said.

According to NDA Director, Lieutenant-General Nguyen Nhu Hoat, the academy has so far provided thousands of high-ranking military officials for the national army.

Over the past 10 years, the academy has organised 32 training courses on defence and security for nearly 2,000 high-ranking cadres, he added./.