The Ministry of Defense proposes relaxing the military service age for soldiers.

According to the Ministry of Defense's submission on the draft Law on Professional Military Personnel and Defense Workers and Employees, the age limit for professional military personnel may be increased compared to current regulations.

On September 23, the Ministry of National Defense reported to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the draft Law on Professional Military Personnel and Defense Workers and Employees. According to the report, one of the necessities of the aforementioned Law is the age limit for military service.

Accordingly, the Ministry of National Defense argues that Article 47 of the Law on Military Service and current legal documents stipulating that "Professional soldiers may serve in the armed forces for a fixed term or long term until the age of 50" are no longer consistent with the requirements of building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and progressively modern People's Army, as well as related legal documents such as the Labor Code, the Law on Officers of the Vietnam People's Army, and the Social Insurance Law. The provision allowing professional soldiers to retire at the age of 50 or younger, when they are still young, healthy, and possess excellent technical and professional skills needed by the Army, wastes human resources and negatively impacts the quality of military development.

On the other hand, according to the 2014 Social Insurance Law, to receive a pension of 75%, employees must have contributed to social insurance for 35 years or more for men and 30 years or more for women. The current regulation that professional soldiers only serve until the age of 50 means they do not have enough social insurance contributions to qualify for a 75% pension, significantly impacting the aspirations, lives, and well-being of professional soldiers and their families.

This draft law proposes the following specific age limits for professional soldiers and defense workers and employees:

The current age limit for military service for soldiers is only 50 years old. (illustrative image)

- For professional soldiers, in order to save human resources in the Army, reduce training costs to replace professional soldiers who retire from active service, and utilize the skills, abilities, and practical experience of professional soldiers who are still healthy; and at the same time overcome the situation of having to extend the service age of professional soldiers by a large number each year, the draft Law has stipulated the maximum age for active service of professional soldiers according to military rank as follows:

Professional military officer rank: Men 50 years old, women 50 years old;

Professional military officer with the rank of Major: Male, 52 years old; Female, 52 years old.

Professional military officer, Lieutenant Colonel: Male 54 years old, female 54 years old;

Professional military officer, Lieutenant Colonel: Male 56 years old, female 55 years old.

- Specifically for certain positions such as combatants, special forces, special reconnaissance units, counter-terrorism personnel, divers, honor guards, athletes, submarine crews, tank crews, armored vehicle crews, and dancers, if the above-mentioned maximum age limit for active service is stipulated, it would not be suitable in terms of health to fulfill the assigned tasks.

Therefore, the draft specifically stipulates the maximum age for active service for these individuals, and upon reaching the age limit, if they meet the requirements, they will be considered for transfer to another position. The regulation of the maximum age for active service for female professional soldiers is the same as that for male professional soldiers of the same rank to implement the law on gender equality; the maximum age for active service for female professional soldiers is set at 55 years old to comply with the provisions of the Labor Code.

In addition to the maximum age limit for service, the draft Law also stipulates that professional soldiers may voluntarily serve in the armed forces for periods of 6 years until they reach the maximum age limit according to their rank. When the military has a need, professional soldiers who possess sufficient qualities, technical and professional skills, good health, and volunteer may be considered for an extension of their service age from 1 to 5 years, but not exceeding 60 years for men and 55 years for women.

For reserve professional soldiers, the maximum age for service in the reserve corps is also stipulated in accordance with the maximum age for active service of professional soldiers as prescribed by this Law.

The draft law also includes provisions on age limits for defense workers and employees: The maximum age for military service for defense workers and employees is set in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code, which is 60 years old for men and 55 years old for women.

Defense workers and employees are citizens serving within the organizational structure, subject to the management and utilization of the military, and subject to the regulations of the law, orders, and rules of the Vietnam People's Army.

The majority of defense workers are directly involved in repairing and manufacturing defense equipment, maintaining weapons and military technical equipment, and ensuring the combat readiness and fighting capabilities of the army. They are frequently exposed to particularly hazardous environments in factories, enterprises, warehouses, and repair workshops located in remote areas and regions with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions. To align with the nature and tasks of the military as a special labor sector, the draft Law clearly states that the Government shall regulate the retirement age for defense workers and employees who do not yet meet the retirement requirements under the law on social insurance due to organizational restructuring where the military no longer needs their services.

According to Infonet