General Phan Van Giang: Doing well in peacetime but must calculate...

On the morning of June 11, continuing the program of the 9th Session of the 15th National Assembly, National Assembly deputies discussed in groups on the arrangement of provincial-level administrative units in 2025; the Draft Resolution of the National Assembly on the International Financial Center in Vietnam; the Project on amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on National Defense; the Law on People's Army Officers; the Law on Professional Soldiers, Workers and Defense Officials; the Law on Military Service; the Law on Vietnam Border Guard; the Law on People's Air Defense; the Law on Reserve Forces; the Law on Civil Defense; the Law on Management and Protection of Defense Works and Military Zones; the Law on Militia and Self-Defense Forces; the Law on National Defense and Security Education.

General Phan Van Giang , Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense attended and spoke at the discussion at Group 7.

Specify military and defense regulations when arranging provincial and communal levels.

Discussing at Group 7 (including delegations from Hue City, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Kien Giang ), delegates agreed that the Draft Law is of high urgency.

The draft law focuses on amending and supplementing a number of articles on the position, role, authority, functions, and tasks in the military and defense fields related to the organization of two-level local governments to ensure consistency with the provisions of the Constitution, the Law on Organization of Local Government (amended) and relevant legal provisions.

This amendment aims to create a unified legal basis for performing state management tasks on national defense and military, building a solid defense zone from the grassroots, building a national defense foundation associated with people's security posture, meeting the requirements of tasks in the new situation.

General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense, spoke at the discussion. Photo: TRONG HAI

The army has been reorganized in a streamlined, efficient, and effective manner to ensure compliance with the two-level local government. Accordingly, the district-level military commands will be dissolved and the Regional Defense Command will be established under the provincial military command. At the same time, the provincial Border Guard Command will be dissolved and the Border Guard Command will be established under the provincial military command. Commenting on some specific issues, delegate Hoang Anh Cong (Thai Nguyen delegation) was interested in the provisions on the "Regional Defense Command". The delegate said that the draft law consists of 12 articles, of which 5 articles have related content and provisions on the "Regional Defense Command". The delegate suggested that the law drafting committee study and supplement to clarify the position and authority of the "Regional Defense Command", ensuring consistency in position, function, tasks and authority between the Commune Military Command, the Regional Defense Command and the Provincial Military Command.

Regarding the amendment and supplementation of a number of articles of the Law on Militia and Self-Defense Forces, there are opinions expressing agreement on the regulation that the "Air Defense and Artillery Militia Platoon" is added to be organized at the commune level. However, it is recommended that the drafting agency study the direction of only organizing this force in key communes for people's air defense, and assign the Ministry of National Defense to regulate it.

There are also opinions concerned about the regulation: The commander is a civil servant, a member of the People's Committee at the commune level; the deputy commander and assistant are civil servants as in the draft law.

Prepare carefully, firmly, many lessons, many options

Speaking at the discussion and clarifying the opinions of National Assembly deputies, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense, said that, in response to practical requirements, amending and supplementing a number of provisions of laws on the military and national defense fields is extremely necessary, in order to fully and promptly institutionalize policies and orientations in Party documents and resolutions, conclusions of the Politburo, Secretariat, provisions of the Constitution, and the Law on Organization of Local Government (amended) related to the arrangement and reorganization of administrative units at all levels.

General Phan Van Giang said that in addition to the task of developing a law to amend the 11 laws mentioned above, the Ministry of National Defense is also developing 5 decrees to amend 38 decrees, developing 17 circulars to amend 73 circulars and two decisions of the Prime Minister and many other contents.

Providing more information about the position and authority of the "Regional Defense Command", General Phan Van Giang said that the Regional Defense Command is not an administrative level but only a subordinate unit, performing military and defense tasks. The tasks of the District Military Command must be divided between the Commune Military Command and the Provincial Military Command. This will be specified by decree and circular. General Phan Van Giang cited that previously the authority to call for military service was decided by the District Military Command, but in this revision of the Law on Military Service, it will be assigned to the Chairman of the Commune People's Committee.

General Phan Van Giang emphasized the spirit of the law amendment is "to do well in peacetime but to calculate for when a situation occurs... Since ancient times, our ancestors have said "in peacetime, we should strive, the country will last forever". If we are not prepared, we will be surprised immediately, but we must prepare very carefully, very firmly, with many lessons and many plans...". From here, General Phan Van Giang emphasized the role of the Regional Defense Command when a situation occurs.

Regarding the opinion on the "Air Defense and Artillery Militia Platoon", General Phan Van Giang added that, from the reality of conflicts and wars in the world, determining key areas for national defense is not an easy problem, while it is possible to determine key areas for security.

Discussion scene at Group 7. Photo: TRONG HAI

Regarding the regulations on civil servants of the Commune Military Command, General Phan Van Giang said that the civil servants of the Commune Military Command have not been identified as officers. If there is a situation, officers of the Regional Defense Command will be sent down to help the commune with some tasks. That is, training the militia and self-defense forces, developing plans to identify the commune as a fortress to protect the locality at the commune level...

The Minister said that each commune has about 5-7 people in the Military Command. If they are officers, with more than 3,300 communes after the merger, more than 15,000 officers will be needed. The Minister affirmed that this number is not small, so for now, the "ngu binh u nong" method will still be applied.

Regarding the province merger, some delegates were concerned about the fact that officials had to move to other localities to work but faced difficulties in housing conditions and ensuring their lives.

The Minister of Defense cited the fact that it takes 4 hours to travel from Dak Nong to Da Lat, Lam Dong by car, while Da Lat is a tourist city, the cost is expensive and officials moving to a new workplace must also bring their families along.

Therefore, General Phan Van Giang believes that there must be public housing and it must be built with the fastest method to ensure the lives of officials and civil servants.

VU DUNG

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Source: https://baodaknong.vn/dai-tuong-phan-van-giang-lam-tot-cho-thoi-binh-nhung-phai-tinh-cho-khi-co-tinh-huong-xay-ra-255248.html