Ministry of Public Security establishes Air Security force

Prevent and handle acts of terrorism or threats to flight security and safety

After the Government issued Decree No. 92/2015/ND-CP on aviation security, the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security directed the Border Security Department (General Department of Security), now the Immigration Department, to preside over and develop a project on the organization and operation of the aviation security force. The Immigration Department has coordinated with ministries, departments, branches and functional units to actively carry out the task and report to the Minister of Public Security for approval of the Project in early 2020, proactively selecting and developing a training plan for aviation security officers to deploy on flights and routes, ensuring the requirements set forth.

Accordingly, the Air Security Force is the force responsible for preventing and combating terrorism, preventing and handling illegal interference, and ensuring security on Vietnam Airlines flights. The Air Security Force belongs to the Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security, under the direct command of the Director of the Immigration Department.

The Air Security Force is responsible for grasping the situation related to aviation security; organizing the implementation of professional measures to collect, synthesize, analyze, evaluate, and forecast the situation related to plots, methods, tricks, and acts that threaten the security and safety of domestic and international flights of Vietnam's civil aviation. The Air Security Force advises and proposes to the Director of the Immigration Department policies, plans, and professional preventive measures to proactively detect, combat, prevent, and handle acts of terrorism or threats to flight security and safety; deciding on the deployment of Air Security forces on flights if there is a risk of illegal interference with aircraft in flight.

The Air Security Force is also responsible for coordinating with the Flight Crew to handle illegal interference situations or independently handle sudden, unexpected situations that seriously threaten the security and safety of aircraft in flight, and is allowed to use weapons, support tools, force, technical means... according to the provisions of law to neutralize illegal interference on aircraft. This force also coordinates with airlines and domestic and foreign authorities to resolve issues related to ensuring security on aircraft.

Is a special task force of special nature in the People's Public Security

Speaking at the ceremony, on behalf of the Central Public Security Party Committee and the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security, Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang affirmed: The establishment of the Air Security Department is an important milestone, demonstrating the development, maturity and growth of the Immigration Management force in general and the Immigration Management Department in particular, and at the same time marking the birth of a core, regular force in aviation security protection, creating a foundation for aviation security work to soon develop in a revolutionary, regular, elite and modern direction.

The decision to establish the Air Security Department demonstrates the increasingly high requirements of the Central Public Security Party Committee and the Ministry of Public Security for the Party Committee, leaders, officers and soldiers of the Immigration Department in aviation security protection work, requiring the Party Committee, leaders of the Department and the Air Security Department to uphold the sense of responsibility, overcome all difficulties, successfully complete assigned tasks, and gradually affirm the role and position of the core force in protecting aviation security - Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang emphasized.

Regarding some key tasks, Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang requested the Immigration Department and the Aviation Security Department to urgently complete the remaining conditions in terms of facilities, offices and staff to soon stabilize the organization; complete regulations, procedures and work plans; actively coordinate with functional units of the Civil Aviation Authority to propose deploying security officers on flights in accordance with regulations and roadmaps. Continue to research and propose completing the legal corridor to deploy the activities of the Aviation Security force; coordinate and propose signing agreements on aviation security deployment, and cooperate with countries that have deployed aviation security officers.

“It is necessary to unify the perception that the Air Security Force is a special task force within the People's Public Security, directly preventing and combating terrorism, preventing and handling illegal interference on civil flights, and deploying secret reconnaissance measures of the Public Security Force to serve the prevention, containment and early and remote handling of all risks and challenges that threaten aviation security,” Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang emphasized.

The Deputy Minister requested the Immigration Department to attach importance to the selection and building of a truly disciplined, elite, modern, absolutely loyal to the Party and the people, well-organized, well-versed in the law, proficient and sharp in professional skills and tactics to handle situations to meet requirements and tasks. The force needs to be very proactive in studying the experiences of other countries, closely evaluating the practical work to propose conditions to ensure the work and combat of the Air Security force by 2025 to advance straight to modernity in accordance with the Party and State's policies.

Along with that is ensuring regular, close and effective coordination between the Aviation Security force and other relevant forces inside and outside the People's Public Security. The Public Security of units and localities regularly exchange and coordinate information assessment, forecast risks of illegal interference in civil aviation activities taking place on flying aircraft; information on terrorists, suspected terrorists; risks when flying to unstable and conflicting countries and regions..., the Aviation Security force closely coordinates with other functional forces to ensure security and order of flights; continue to perfect the theory of ensuring aviation security, contributing to perfecting the theory of protecting national security in the new situation.

Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang believes that, with the tradition of the Heroic Armed Forces, the Immigration Department will gradually build a mature and strong Air Security Department, capable of fulfilling its tasks, contributing to building the People's Public Security force in general and the Immigration Department in particular to be revolutionary, disciplined, elite, and modern, firmly protecting national security and social order and safety.

Speaking at the ceremony, Major General Quach Huy Hoang - Director of the Immigration Department affirmed that the Party Committee, the Department's leaders, together with the collective leadership and officers and soldiers of the Air Security Department are determined to promote the spirit of solidarity, intelligence, creativity, proactively research, propose to deploy all aspects of work; learn from the experiences of countries that have deployed air security, especially Poland, South Korea, and the US; propose to fully equip modern means and equipment to serve the training and education of Air Security officers on par with the requirements and assigned tasks.