80 scientific presentations by generals, scientists, delegates, leaders, and commanders of agencies, units, and localities affirmed the particularly important role of the General Staff and clarified new issues for the strategic advisory agency on military , national defense, and national defense in the new era. The People's Army Newspaper quotes some opinions at the conference.

General PHAM VAN TRA, former member of the Politburo, former Minister of National Defense :

The role of the General Staff in the strategy of combining economy with defense

Combining economy with national defense is a tradition that has been formed and nurtured throughout thousands of years of our nation's history. We must combine economy with national defense because economy and national defense have a dialectical relationship with each other. A country with a developed economy and strong economic potential will be the premise and foundation for building a strong national defense. Conversely, a strong national defense will create conditions and a stable political environment for economic development and protection of that economy. Therefore, our Party and President Ho Chi Minh always considered combining economy with national defense as the "red thread" throughout, a matter of principle in directing all economic and national defense (KTQP) activities of the country. That is also the consistent strategy of our Party in the process of leading the revolution.

General Pham Van Tra. Photo: PHU SON

In April 1958, speaking at the Vietnam Army Officer School, President Ho Chi Minh stated: "The Party and the Government have assigned our Army two tasks: Building an increasingly powerful and combat-ready People's Army; practically participating in production labor to contribute to building socialism. These are two very glorious tasks; these two tasks are consistent with each other. You need to strive to study and work to build the Army, and at the same time, you must strive to participate in production and savings, supporting units that switch to production. I am confident that you, together with the entire army, will fulfill these two tasks well."

When summarizing 20 years of implementing the Platform for national construction during the transition period to socialism (1991-2011), our Party also pointed out: "Closely combine economy with national defense and security, national defense and security with economy in strategies, planning and plans for socio-economic development".

When I was assigned by the Party and the Government to hold important positions at the General Staff, and then as Minister of National Defense, one of the contents that I was very fond of in terms of combining economy with defense was to build economic zones, turn "uninhabited forest areas" on the Fatherland's border into economic zones, and organize the Army and people to build agricultural and forestry farms in strategic areas, remote areas, and isolated areas, as the foundation for the national defense and security posture.

Together with the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff, I have repeatedly surveyed and researched the project of the economic zones, then proposed to the Government a plan to organize the system of economic zones nationwide and received the Government's approval. In July 1998, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai issued a decision approving the Socio-Economic Development Program for extremely disadvantaged communes in mountainous and remote areas. Immediately after that, the Central Military Party Committee (now the Central Military Commission) issued a Resolution "On the participation of the Army in production labor, economic activities, promoting the core role, participating in the construction and development of the socio-economy, and consolidating the National Defense and Security in strategic areas".

The construction of the economic zones has contributed to socio-economic development, gradually improving and enhancing the material and spiritual life of the people, thereby building the national defense posture, and at the same time this is a way for the Party, Government and Army to repay the gratitude and kindness of the people. The national defense posture in key strategic areas has been built and consolidated more and more firmly.

To achieve great achievements in implementing the policy of combining economy with national defense, it is impossible not to mention the role and great contributions of the General Staff. The General Staff Chief regularly pays attention to, inspects, encourages and directs, orients awareness, ideology and removes difficulties and shortcomings; clearly defines the organization, staffing, mechanisms and policies, creating conditions for military enterprises to operate; actively and proactively coordinates effectively with central and local departments, ministries and branches in advising the Party, State, Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defense to issue documents on leadership and direction to build a strong national defense and people's security. Advises and directs the planning and arrangement of national defense combined with economy, economy combined with national defense; organizes economic units appropriately, meeting the requirements and tasks in economic development and when war situations occur...

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Senior Lieutenant General HUYNH CHIEN THANG, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army:

Improve the quality of research, forecasting and strategic advice

One of the important and decisive factors affirming the mettle, intelligence and strength of the strategic staff agency is the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, which has regularly researched, forecasted and grasped the situation to advise on the successful handling of all situations, bringing the revolutionary cause to progress rapidly and steadily to success.

Today, peace, cooperation and development are still the major trends of the world, but are facing many difficulties and challenges. Domestically, after nearly 40 years of renovation, our country's position and strength, national strength and international prestige have been increasingly consolidated and enhanced. However, the cause of building and defending the Fatherland is facing many challenges. To maintain a strategic initiative, it is necessary to proactively research, grasp, assess and forecast the situation, promptly advise the Party and State on military and defense policies and measures, and avoid being passive or surprised in any situation.

Senior Lieutenant General Huynh Chien Thang. Photo: PHU SON

Accordingly, promote the combined strength, concentrate all resources, improve the capacity for research, forecasting, and strategic advice on military and national defense accurately, promptly, comprehensively, and with focus. Research, advise, and propose effective implementation of comprehensive, fundamental, and long-term policies and solutions, prevent risks of war and conflict early and from afar; resolve sea and island issues. Advise the Party and State on building an all-people national defense, an all-people national defense posture associated with a solid people's security and people's security posture; improve the quality of activities of provincial and municipal defense zones and military zone defense in the strategic arrangement of the whole country; strengthen national defense potential and national strength, and be capable of mobilizing and effectively responding to defense and security situations.

To improve the quality of research, forecasting, and strategic advice on military and defense, it is necessary to focus on building, consolidating, and perfecting the organization of strategic military and defense advisory agencies in the direction of being lean, compact, strong, synchronous, and specialized. Research and develop mechanisms and policies for training high-quality human resources; attract and encourage a team of cadres, experts, leading scientists, leaders, and commanders with extensive experience in research, forecasting, and strategic advice; gradually build a system of research, forecasting, and strategic advisory agencies on military and defense that are equal to the requirements of the task.

Establish a leadership, direction and coordination mechanism between agencies inside and outside the Army in carrying out research, forecasting and strategic advice on military and national defense to ensure unity, synchronization and efficiency. Prioritize investment in building a standardized database system, synchronization, ensuring convenience in sharing and linking between information and documentation agencies to provide multi-dimensional, objective and highly reliable information...

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Lieutenant General VU THANH CHUONG, Director of the Department of Science, Strategy and History of the Public Security:

The General Staff coordinates to build a strong people's security foundation.

The cooperative relationship between the People's Army and the People's Public Security Forces (PPP) was formed throughout the Vietnamese revolutionary process, built on the foundation of Ho Chi Minh's ideology and the Party's viewpoints and policies. This relationship is increasingly close and effective as the People's Army and the PPP unite, support, and coordinate in fighting to carry out the task of protecting the Fatherland and national security.

Lieutenant General Vu Thanh Chuong. Photo: PHU SON

To coordinate in building a strong and effective people's security, the General Department of Vietnam Customs has coordinated with the staff agency of the People's Public Security to develop programs and plans to effectively implement strategies and policies on national security protection in conjunction with building and consolidating the political system, developing the economy, culture, society, and foreign affairs; perfecting the legal system on national security protection; specifically defining the tasks, powers, responsibilities, and obligations of agencies, organizations, and individuals in protecting national security; building a strong national security protection force; developing plans and organizing, arranging necessary forces and means to proactively protect national security in all situations...

In the coming time, the world and regional situation is forecast to continue to develop complicatedly, with both traditional and non-traditional security challenges potentially threatening the security of many countries, including Vietnam, requiring the People's Army and the People's Public Security Forces, specifically the General Staff and the staff agencies of the Ministry of Public Security, to strengthen closer coordination in building people's security to promote the strength of the great national unity bloc to participate in protecting national security, meeting the requirements and tasks of national defense and security in the new situation.

Accordingly, continue to thoroughly, thoroughly and comprehensively grasp the Party's viewpoints on strengthening coordination between the People's Army and the People's Public Security Forces in performing national defense and security tasks, including the task of building a strong people's security. Advise on research, development and effective implementation of the contents of plans, projects, programs and coordination plans; tasks assigned by the Party and State to the People's Army and the People's Public Security Forces related to building a strong people's security. Regularly coordinate to grasp, analyze and comprehensively forecast the world, regional and domestic situations affecting national defense and security tasks, including the task of building people's security; proactively increase the exchange of practical experiences to help the People's Public Security Forces build a specialized force to protect national security as the core of building people's security; Strengthen the exchange of results of implementing strategies on international cooperation in the fields of defense and security, contributing to building a strong, widespread, and comprehensive people's security foundation, meeting the requirements and tasks of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

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Major General NGUYEN AN PHONG, Political Commissar of the Navy:

Mobilizing thousands of ships to clear mines and magnetic bombs

During the first blockade of rivers and seas in the North, from February 1967, along with using modern weapons to attack the North, the US imperialists began to blockade with mines and magnetic bombs at all ports and river mouths throughout the North, focusing on the four main river mouths: Ma River, Lam River, Nhat Le River, and Gianh River.

Faced with the escalation of the US imperialists' attacks on the North, the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) directed the Navy and the local armed forces in coastal areas to grasp the situation and quickly consolidate their positions to deal with the US imperialists' blockade. Following the direction of the General Staff, the Navy Command prepared and received approval from the General Staff for projects and plans to counter the enemy's blockade of Hai Phong port and the Northeast region.

Major General Nguyen An Phong. Photo: PHU SON

In May 1972, the US Air Force and Navy escalated their attacks on the North more and more fiercely. In that situation, the General Staff issued Directive No. 31/CT-TM, assigning the task to the Navy Command: "Organize the search, removal, and clearance of mines and magnetic bombs dropped by the enemy at seaports and coastal estuaries"; continue to build and consolidate the people's war posture on the river and sea battlefields; coordinate with military regions, military branches, arms and local authorities to organize an observation network, mark each area and location of mines and magnetic bombs dropped by the enemy; focus on research and experience, find ways to remove enemy mines, clear waterways, river mouths, seaports...

In July 1972, the General Staff directly directed the Navy to coordinate with other military services, branches, and coastal localities to concentrate forces and means to open a number of channels for small ships and boats to navigate to meet urgent needs for production and transportation of goods to serve the people's lives and the armed forces, gradually breaking the enemy's blockade... Promoting the people's war on the river and sea battlefields, in the second anti-blockade, the Navy mobilized more than 1,000 ships, of which 878 were directly used to clear mines and magnetic bombs in many areas, with more than 400 continuous days and nights, a journey of 13,000 nautical miles, destroying 1,151 mines and magnetic bombs...

With the correct and timely direction of the General Staff, the Navy was the core force, along with the army and people of the North, building a people's war posture on the vast river and sea battlefields.

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/bo-tong-tham-muu-qdnd-viet-nam-vung-buoc-tien-vao-ky-nguyen-moi-841749