General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng speaks at a political-military conference for the entire army in Hà Nội yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng has requested the army maintain its core role in providing for the defence and security of all people.

Attending a political-military conference for the entire army in Hà Nội yesterday, Trọng, who is also Secretary of the Central Military Commission, stressed the need to strengthen the nation’s defence potential.

The military should co-ordinate closely with ministries, sectors and localities in building defensive zones and conducting defence planning in combination with socio-economic development nationwide, he instructed. 

The Party leader also requested the military intensify collaboration with the police and other forces in the fight against crime, smuggling and trade fraud along the border and at sea to ensure social security and order. He also urged them to stay ready to take part in search and rescue missions. 

He emphasised the importance of building an army with firm political will and absolute loyalty to the nation, the Party and people, with a streamlined but effective structure and high capacity for combat.

The army needs to thoroughly grasp the Party’s foreign policy of independence and self-reliance and intensify the defence sector’s external relations, thus contributing to protecting the nation’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, he added. 

Reports at the conference said in 2017, the military force continued providing effective advice for the Party, Government and localities on defence matters. It has been the major force in building people-based defence and security, as well as in maintaining political stability and social order and safety. 

The military have reformed the content and methods of training to improve combat capacity, while playing the main role in many social activities such as responding to natural disasters, conducting search and rescue operations and contributing to poverty reduction and new-style rural development, particularly in far-flung, border and island areas. — VNS