General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong: Training military officers in the spirit of '7 dares'

The Central Military Commission held its 6th Conference for the 2020-2025 term on the morning of July 3, chaired by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Secretary of the Central Military Commission. The conference assessed the results of leadership in implementing tasks in the first 6 months of the year and discussed and decided on policies and solutions for the last 6 months of 2023.

Speaking at the conference, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong summarized six highlights. The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense continued to perform well their advisory functions to the Party and State on strategic issues of military, national defense, and national protection.

"We have maintained a strategic initiative, not being passive or surprised; being clever, flexible, and agile in handling situations, preventing the risk of conflict, especially in the struggle to protect sovereignty over seas and islands; and proposing very close policies, countermeasures, and basic, long-term solutions," the General Secretary assessed.

The army continues to promote its core role in building national defense.

The army closely coordinates with the police and relevant forces to maintain security and order, protect the safety of political and social events in the country, especially in resolving and handling the recent incident in Dak Lak.

The entire army has strictly maintained combat readiness, tightly managed airspace, sea areas, borders, inland areas, and cyberspace. Tightly and effectively organized training and exercises, improved the combat readiness of the entire army, and met mission requirements in all situations.

Continue to effectively carry out the adjustment of the military organization in the direction of being lean, compact, strong, and modern. The General Secretary assessed that these are major organizational adjustments, affecting the arrangement and use of forces, the thoughts and feelings of officers, soldiers, and the military rear. However, they have been implemented methodically and closely, learning from experience while doing, thereby creating high consensus, maintaining stability in agencies and units, ensuring the strength and combat readiness of the entire army.

The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense have led and directed the work of ensuring logistics and technology well; the defense industry has achieved many positive results... gradually ensuring self-equipment with modern weapons, suitable for the art of combat.

International integration and defense diplomacy continue to be promoted on both bilateral and multilateral levels. Harmoniously and flexibly handle defense relations and cooperation with neighboring countries, major countries, strategic partners, and traditional friends. The General Secretary believes that this is a very practical way to keep "peace on the outside", prevent the risk of conflict, and protect the Fatherland early and from afar.

The work of building the military Party continues to achieve many good results in terms of politics, ideology, ethics, organization and cadres. Building and rectifying the Party to constantly improve leadership capacity and fighting strength, ensuring the exemplary role of the military Party.

Promoting the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers", resolutely fighting individualism in the new situation and effectively implementing the work of preventing and combating negativity, corruption, and waste...

The General Secretary affirmed that it is necessary to resolutely discipline cadres and party members who violate the law, ensuring the strictness of party discipline and military discipline, contributing to preventing all signs of degradation in political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party. The General Secretary reiterated the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh: "A strong army is thanks to skillful education, correct policies and strict discipline."

Training the army in the spirit of "7 dares"

The General Secretary also pointed out a number of limitations and shortcomings and requested the Central Military Commission to continue to lead, direct, and resolutely overcome them; not allowing bad and hostile forces to take advantage of them to exaggerate, distort, and lower the prestige of the army, and carry out the plot to "depoliticize" the army.

Regarding the direction for the last 6 months of the year, the General Secretary noted that the entire army should focus on proactively grasping the situation, giving timely and accurate advice on solutions to successfully handle situations, including those in the air, at sea, at the border and inland.

Lead and direct the entire army to strictly carry out combat readiness tasks; be proactive in plans, prepare well in all aspects, and successfully respond to non-traditional security challenges.

The General Secretary proposed continuing to adjust the military organization according to the determined roadmap; promptly perfecting Party committees and organizations, ensuring that units are ready to perform tasks immediately after establishment, creating the premise to basically build a strong, compact, and elite army by 2025.

Ensure adequate and timely logistics and technology, promote the development of the defense industry in a modern and dual-use direction to meet the equipment needs of units.

Further improve the effectiveness of international integration and defense diplomacy.

The General Secretary emphasized the need to continue building a truly clean and strong military Party organization. He emphasized the need to pay special attention to building a strong cadre team with good virtue, talent, and high prestige; superiors must set an example for subordinates, and commanders must be exemplary in front of the entire unit.

Talking about the situation of cadres being afraid of responsibility, avoiding and shirking responsibility, the General Secretary requested that this situation absolutely must not be allowed in the army, because military commanders who are indecisive, avoid and shirk responsibility will miss opportunities, leading to failure in handling situations that arise.

To do so, according to the General Secretary, we must focus on training and developing military cadres in the spirit of "7 dares": "dare to think, dare to speak, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, dare to innovate and be creative, dare to face difficulties and challenges, and dare to act for the common good".