An engineer checks on the technical status of a helicopter of the national air defence force. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Tư

Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Hiền, Member of the Party Central Committee, Commander of the Air Defence and Air Force, Deputy Head of the Law on People's Air Defence Drafting Committee, speaks to the People’s Army Newspaper about the draft law.

Why do we need a Law on People's Air Defence?

People's air defence is a part of all-people national defence. Today, new combat plans in modern warfare, air attack and air attack prevention have become extremely important requirements.

The Law on People's Air Defence aims to complete the guidelines and policies of the Party and State and the Constitution’s provisions on protecting the Fatherland.

Practical requirements of the national liberation and the cause of construction have affirmed that people's air defence is an important content of national defence and military work, proactively protect the country early, from afar and in any situation.

Practical research on recent conflicts around the world has showed that air attacks are the main method, especially the use of unmanned aircraft and ultra-light aircraft.

Domestically, the number of unlicensed unmanned aircraft and ultra-light aircraft is increasing and showing signs of loss of control, posing many potential threats to national defence, and aviation security and safety.

Therefore, the Law on People's Air Defence is very necessary to overcome inadequacies and limitations in the new era, perfecting the legal system on military and national defence, meeting the national guard requirements in all eventualities.

How are guidelines and policies on defence zones and all-people defence posture relevant to people's air defence?

People's air defence is a part of the all-people national defence, placed under the leadership of the Party committee, and directed, managed and operated by the Government from central to local levels.

Therefore, people's air defence is an important content of defence and military.

People's air defence posture is arranging, organising and deploying forces, vehicles, equipment, people's air defence projects and necessary resources nationwide to carry out the people's air defence missions.

It is an integral and inseparable part of the all-people defence posture. People's air defence operations are a unique feature of Vietnamese military art that has been effectively applied in the national liberation war.

In modern warfare today, air attack and air attack prevention have become extremely important, playing a decisive role in changing the battlefield situation.

People's air defence is meaningful and even in some stages of the war, it plays a key role. From there, there is a need to build the people's air defence force, setting up a strong and comprehensive national defence, promoting the country's strength to effectively handle defence and security situations.

What is the relationship between national air defence forces, army air defence force and the people's air defence force?

Managing and protecting the airspace is an important task, carried out by various forces, at different altitudes, from near and far, of which the core is the national air defence force and the army air defence force, along with participation of the people's air defence force.

These forces are organised to have completely different functions and tasks in the posture of all-people defence and people's war.

The three forces have a close and inseparable relationship in performing the task of managing and protecting the airspace. They have clearly assigned duties, without overlapping each other's functions and tasks.

The national air defence force is the main and core one, equipped with modern weaponry, is responsible for detecting and notifying other forces and effectively fighting the enemy at different heights.

The army air defence force is the main force of the constituting military units, with the task of accompanying the constituting military units in various types of combat operations.

The people's defence force is a force that fights the enemy extensively in the local zone. It fights and overcomes the consequences of the enemy's air attacks. At its core ar local soldiers, militiamen, reserve soldiers and an extensive force mobilised from the people.

The above three forces form an overall air defence force with three types of troops, creating a continuous, widespread, multi-layered, multi-directional air defence posture. It is capable of observing, detecting and attacking the enemy from near and far. — VNS