President Võ Văn Thưởng with officers of the Tank Brigade 574 under Military Region 5 on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

ĐÀ NẴNG — President Võ Văn Thưởng had a working session on Tuesday with the Military Region 5 Command, which comprises 11 central and Central Highlands localities, on the military-defence situation in the region.

The State leader hailed the efforts of armed forces in the region in accomplishing their tasks, giving accurate forecasts and advice to the Party, State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on military-defence issues, and settling all arising problems.

The forces have strictly maintained combat readiness, closely managing national airspace, sea and islands and border, enhancing the strength of the defence area, while showing strong performance in external military relations, said the State leader.

He lauded the active engagement of officers and soldiers of Military Region 5 in natural disaster prevention and response as well as search and rescue activities.

Holding that the world and regional situation is likely to continue to develop complicatedly and unpredictably, President Thưởng asked Military Region 5 to focus on implementing the resolution of the Party Central Committee’s eighth session on national defence strategy in the new situation as well as relevant resolutions and directives on defence-security tasks in association with socio-economic development in strategic areas.

It is necessary to give accurate analysis, evaluation and forecast on the defence-security developments in the region to take proper response, firmly protecting the national border, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he requested.

Along with building strong armed forces with absolute loyalty to the Party and people, Military Region 5 should enhance the efficiency of political and ideological education, fighting wrongful and reactionary viewpoints of hostile forces, protecting the ideological foundation of the Party, actively preventing and combating signs of “self-evolution”, “self-transformation” and “depoliticalisation of the military”, and fostering internal solidarity as well as that between armed forces and the people, Thưởng underscored.

The State leader asked Military Region 5 to continue strictly managing the airspace, sea, border, mainland, cyberspace as well as strategic areas, while coordinating with the local administrations and other forces to reinforce the people-based defence, strengthening international cooperation to build a borderline of peace, friendship, stability and development, and providing support to Laos and Cambodia.

Earlier the same day, President Thưởng inspected the training and combat readiness at Tank Brigade 574 under Military Region 5. — VNS