Hanoi (VNA) – Amid complicatedand unpredictable global and regional situations, the Vietnam People’s Army(VPA) must always stay alert and continually improve its combat strength so asto deserve being the faithful and trustworthy political and combat force of theParty, State and people.

President Tran Dai Quang, Chairman of theDefence and Security Council and Commander of Armed Forces, made the remarkduring a working visit to the Ministry of National Defence at the Mieu Montraining centre in Hanoi on October 17.

Reporting about the VPA’s performance in 2017,Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Chief of the GeneralStaff of the VPA, said the army has fulfilled assigned tasks well, includingadvising the Party, the State and local authorities about military-defencetasks, along with training, organising drills and being ready to combat.

He added that it has coordinated with police andother forces to deal with arising situations in a timely manner, thusestablishing itself as the core force in protecting the country’s sovereignty,territorial integrity, and border, airspace, sea and island security . The VPAis also the key force in addressing natural disaster consequences, search,rescue, and settling war consequences. It has also effectively taken part inreinforcing local political systems.

Speaking at the working session, President Quangapplauded the Defence Ministry’s achievements in leading and instructing therealisation of military-defence tasks.

He asked the Central Military Commission and theministry to continue implementing resolutions of the Party Central Committeewell, the targets and tasks set in the resolution of the army’s 10th Partycongress, along with the tasks assigned by the Party, the State and people.

They need to have a firm grasp of the situationand advise the Party and State about socio-economic development associated withdefence and security, he said, adding that they also have to step up building arevolutionary, regular and elite VPA that is gradually modernised.

The Central Military Commission and the DefenceMinistry need to keep optimising the combined strength of different forces, beactive, creative and steadfast in achieving the set targets, and ensure safetyduring training, drills, search and rescue. It is also necessary to boostcommunications to raise people and armed forces’ awareness of the Party, Stateand people’s attention to the army, the President added.

He told them to strengthen the Party buildingand clean-up, fight the degradation of thought, morality and lifestyle,self-evolution and self-transformation in the army’s Party organisation, andcontinue studying and following late President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, moralityand style.

The commission and the ministry have to workclosely with police and relevant forces to defeat all sabotage plots andactivities of hostile forces, keep political security and social order andsafety, and ensure absolute safety for important events, especially upcomingactivities of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Quang noted.-VNA