Indeed, under the leadership and direction of the Party, State and Government, directly by the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense, international relations and defense diplomacy have achieved many important achievements, contributing to protecting independence, sovereignty and national interests, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for national construction and development, while enhancing the prestige and position of the country and the Vietnam People's Army in the international arena.

A corner of the outdoor exhibition space of the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2022. Photo: TUAN HUY

However, as those who directly work in the field of international relations and national defense, we still have many points that need to be innovated to improve all aspects, from political qualities, ethics, sense of organization and discipline to physical strength, intelligence, skills, and style of action... to match the requirements of the Party, State, Central Military Commission and Ministry of National Defense, most specifically to meet the requirements that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, affirmed at the 2022 Military-Political Conference of the entire army: In any circumstance, officers and soldiers of the Army are always steadfast, steadfast, united, unified, overcoming difficulties, and completing well all assigned tasks...

As a small force in the Army, the team of people working in the National Defense Forces must thoroughly grasp and study the requirements of the General Secretary, the Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and the directives of the Minister and leaders of the Ministry of National Defense.

There are many things to do, but first of all, we must maintain "loyalty and filial piety", thereby summarizing and drawing lessons in a timely manner, making research and assessing the situation closely and reasonably. It is also necessary to add that, in order to have "close and accurate" plans and proposals in the field of international relations and national defense, in addition to self-study and assessing the situation, it is necessary to coordinate with relevant agencies such as the Institute of Defense Strategy, the Institute of International Relations on Defense, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, the Department of Search and Rescue, etc.

Visitors visit an exhibition booth at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2022. Photo: TUAN HUY

For example, in the context of bilateral defense cooperation, in the current fast-paced and complex world situation, we have the 2019 Defense White Paper with the “four no’s”. How should it be applied in this period to bring about practical results and serve national interests? That requires those working in defense cooperation to promote creativity and flexibility depending on specific circumstances.

Or in multilateral defense, it is also necessary to continue to innovate and further improve the quality and effectiveness of situational awareness, research, and timely strategic forecasting, considering this a central and decisive solution to improve the effectiveness of strategic advice.

Activities that are both multilateral and bilateral, such as participating in UN peacekeeping operations or overseas search and rescue, require us to be well-prepared in terms of spirit, material, training, human resources, equipment, etc.

From that, it can be inferred that if each officer doing military service work does not improve and upgrade himself in all aspects, it will be difficult to complete the task well.

Under the condition that 2023 is the "Year of force organization adjustment" according to Resolution 05 of the 13th Politburo and Resolution 230 of the Central Military Commission on the organization of the Army for the period 2021-2030 and the following years, the work of international integration and national defense must strictly comply with the policies of the Party, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense.

The responsibility of those in charge of international affairs and national defense is to make reasonable proposals for each task, each activity and each force. For each activity, whether bilateral or multilateral, it is necessary to clearly identify at what level, to what extent, which force should be in charge, what are the specific requirements and policies... the key is to have elite soldiers, to demonstrate professionalism. Only by doing so can the national defense respond to the requirements of protecting the Fatherland from afar, to contribute to raising the position of the Vietnam People's Army in the international arena and to contribute to raising the level of national defense work.

Above are some thoughts of those who have experienced the reality of military affairs in the Army with the hope that the authorities and especially the officers who are directly involved in this field will increasingly improve themselves to meet the requirements and tasks in the new situation.

Lieutenant General PHAM THANH LAN, Former Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense