Communist Review - The development and improvement of the theoretical system on national security protection - requirements that stem from realities - are identified by the Communist Party of Vietnam as a crucial task in the new era. This system has so far been relatively comprehensive and contributed significantly to the successful protection of national security.

Importance attached to directing theoretical work 

Marxism-Leninism points out, "Without revolutionary theory, there is  no revolutionary movement."⁽¹⁾ President Ho Chi Minh also affirmed, "Without theory on scientific socialism, there is no steadfast stance on class."⁽²⁾ These statements demonstrate the tantamount value and importance of theory. Indeed, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels noted: “Our theory is a theory of evolution, not a dogma to be learned by heart and to be repeated mechanically.”⁽³⁾ This implies that researching, developing, and refining theory while remaining faithful to, and creatively applying and developing, scientific socialism in line with realities are the message the classical theorists intended to convey to future generations. “A revolution is only worthwhile when it knows how to defend itself.”⁽⁴⁾ For communists, “Without wielding weapons to defend the socialist republic country, we cannot survive”⁽⁵⁾.

Adhering to Marxism-Leninism, the Communist Party of Vietnam consistently places the task of safeguarding national security in a crucial position in the revolutionary cause, staying loyal to and creatively applying Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's thought in leading and directing the national security protection mission. Simultaneously, it emphasizes the paramount importance of researching, developing, and completing theories on national security protection.

At its inception, the Party issued directives and resolutions to protect itself and revolutionary bases, and establish and lead self-defense units such as Red Self-Defense, Worker-Peasant Self-Defense, National Salvation Self-Defense, and Honor of Viet Minh to fight espionage and sabotage by hostile elements and their henchmen. During the resistance against colonialism and imperialism and the process of building the socialist regime, the Party advocated “Strengthening the public security force as a tool absolutely loyal to the Party and intimately connected with the people…The entire Party must firmly grasp the public security force and consider reinforcing it as a crucial political task.”⁽⁶⁾ Simultaneously, the Party adopted policies to combat hostile forces,  subversive plots, psychological warfare, espionage, and internal sabotage, and ensure social security and order, while promoting production, economic development, and security and order movements in the North.

In the Southern battlefield, the Party directed revolutionary forces to remain close to the people, counter atrocities, and thwart intelligence and espionage activities as well as mopping up operations and campaigns such as "pacification" and "defection" by the US and the then Saigon regime. Other missions included the thorough protection of the Central Bureau, resistance bases, revolutionary movements, and the people. These endeavors contributed significantly to the liberation of the South and to national reunification. The Party’s resolutions, directives, and orientations during this period were soon summarized into viewpoints and principles, laying the foundation for the development of theories on safeguarding national security and advancing the science of public security.

During the renewal period, the Politburo issued Decision 110-QD/TW, dated August 30, 1990, on establishing the Central Public Security Party Committee under the direct leadership of the Politburo, which plays a role in assisting the Party Central Committee in researching and proposing orientations and policies on safeguarding national security. In the context of socialism facing setbacks and profound crises worldwide in models and theories, on March 28, 1992, the Politburo issued Resolution 01-NQ/TW on "Theoretical work in the current period," directing theoretical work during the transitional period towards socialism in Vietnam. The resolution included theories on security and national defense. The 3rd plenum of the 7th Party Central Committee issued a resolution on the tasks of national defense, safeguarding national security, and countering the enemy’s "peaceful evolution."

On December 17, 1998, the Politburo issued Resolution 08-NQ/TW, on "The national security strategy." This was the Party Central Committee’s first separate resolution on the national security strategy, which defines  theory on national security protection as an independent entity and a specifically important component of the system of theories on safeguarding  the Homeland.

The platform on national construction during the period of transition to socialism (which was supplemented in 2011) underlines the need to "Develop the orientation and military art of people’s war, and people's  security theory and science."⁽⁷⁾ This is the first time "security science" has been mentioned in a Party document, defining the crucial position and role of security science in the overall theory of national defense, as well as the importance of research, development, and refinement of theories on  national security protection.

Adhering to the Party's fundamental viewpoint on crafting theory on Homeland and national security protection, the Central Public Security Committee issued Resolution 08-NQ/DUCA on June 6, 2012, regarding "The People's Public Security theoretical work in the new situation."

Based on the 20-year implementation of Resolution 08-NQ/TW on "The national security strategy," and the Central Public Security Party Committee’s proposal, the Politburo issued Resolution 51-NQ/TW dated September 5, 2019, on "The national security protection strategy." This important, specialized resolution specifies Resolution 28-NQ/TW on "The strategy on safeguarding the Homeland in the new situation."

Resolution 51-NQ/TW introduces several new elements regarding goals, viewpoints, guiding principles, tasks, and concrete solutions, reflecting the Party’s new vision and strategy on Vietnam’s security environment and national development. It emphasizes the importance of "perfecting the theoretical system on national security protection." Documents of the 13th National Party Congress revisited this issue by underlining the need to "continue researching and developing theory on national defense, military, security, military art, and the art of safeguarding national security and social order in the new situation."⁽⁸⁾

In response to Resolution 51-NQ/TW and the 13th National Party Congress resolution, the Central Public Security Party Committee reviewed the People's Public Security theoretical work during the 2011-2021 period and issued Resolution 10-NQ/DUCA and Directive 05-CT/BCA on June 1, 2022, regarding "Promoting the People's Public Security theoretical work until 2030, with orientation until 2035."

The theoretical system on national security protection improves step by step

Building on the revolutionary practice and the summarization of national construction and defense theory and adhering to Party viewpoints, the theoretical system on national security protection has been formulated, supplemented, developed, and constantly fine-tuned. Initially, national security was primarily defined as political security, and national security protection was mainly about combating subversive schemes of hostile and reactionary forces. The Politburo’s Resolution 51-NQ/TW expands the definition of national security to cover aspects such as the strength and eternity of the Party; the comprehensive stability and sustainable development of the country, of the socialist regime, and of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; as well as political and border stability and stable territorial sovereignty and social security and safety. Under Resolution 51-NQ/TW, national security involves not only the firm and stable state of an independent and sovereign political entity in international relations but also  the synergy and ability to flexibly cope with internal and external threats to ensure the robustness and stability of the country, the region, and the world. As a result, "national security protection" has gone beyond countering subversive schemes of hostile forces to include proactively building the national security potential and mobilizing human, material,  financial, and spiritual resources, both domestically and internationally, to ensure the peaceful state of the country and the solid stability of the regime. The scope and objectives of national security protection are no longer confined to traditional political and military security issues but are also expanded  to cover non-traditional security issues. National security protection has shifted from a passive, closed, and isolated mindset to the adaptation of a proactive, cooperative, and developmental approach which proactively safeguards national security early and from afar, creating a security belt beyond national borders and administrative boundaries, while protecting cybersecurity, airspace, and subterranean spaces, among others.

National security protection theory interprets the promotion of synergy as the mobilization of the overall strength of the entire political system, the entire population, and the era, as well as internal and external resources for safeguarding national security. Focus is also placed on building people's security, the people's security posture, and the people’s hearts and minds posture. The 13th National Party Congress continued to underscore the importance of "Maintaining and strengthening the absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership of the Party and the State’s centralized and unified management over the People's Army, People's Public Security, and the cause of national defense and security"⁽⁹⁾. The resolution highlighted the role of the people in ensuring national security by saying, “Security and safety are among the top priorities in people's lives.” The people are the ultimate objective and object of national security protection. Many new theoretical issues are being researched and developed in line with increasingly extensive international integration. Theories on ensuring security in foreign affairs, social affairs, economics, culture and ideology  are constantly fine-tuned to address the new context. Theories on building people's security, the people's security posture, and the people’s hearts and minds posture; on responding to non-traditional security threats; and on ensuring human security have been well-researched with significant results. Various non-traditional security threats such as climate change, environmental pollution, resource scarcity, epidemics, financial crises, cybersecurity, transnational crime, terrorism, and ethnic, religious, and cultural conflicts and countermeasures are studied and explained from different perspectives and approaches.

Direction on researching and fine-tuning theory on national security protection in the new period

Globalization and international integration have opened up unprecedented opportunities and challenges, for the task of safeguarding national security. Alongside traditional and urgent security issues, unprecedented non-traditional security challenges have emerged. Researching and refining   national security protection theory should meet the following basic objectives:

First, establish a political foundation to perfect the Party's orientation on national security protection in the new international context while completing those mechanisms which will ensure the Party's absolute, direct, and comprehensive leadership over the cause of national security protection, from central to grassroots levels.

Second, enhance the leadership of the Central Public Security Party Committee in carrying out the national security protection mission, while  developing and improving coordination mechanisms between the Committee and ministries, branches, and sectors at all levels in leading and directing the tasks of ensuring security and order and building the People's Public Security force.

Third, uphold the responsibilities of the heads of Party committees and administrations at all levels in leading, directing, guiding, inspecting, and supervising national security protection work. They must bear the primary responsibility in handling security issues in their respective localities and fields.

Fourth, establish a foundation which will continue to institutionalize the Party's orientation on national security protection and strengthen the Constitution regarding the building of a law-governed socialist state in the direction of reinforcing control of State power in the enforcement of security and order measures.

Fifth, enhance the effectiveness of State management and activities of administrations at all levels to ensure strict compliance with the Constitution and laws on national security protection.

Sixth, improve awareness of the building and consolidation of the people's security, the people's security posture, and the people’s hearts and minds posture coordinated with the all-people national defense and the all-people national defense posture, thus creating a combined people’s security posture.

Seventh, build a revolutionary, regular, elite People's Public Security force, which is gradually modernized with some units advancing directly toward modernization.

To achieve these objectives, the research and improvement of theory on  national security protection in the new period should focus on:

First, consistently applying and creatively developing Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's thought, and the Party's viewpoint in researching and refining national security protection theory.

V.I. Lenin pointed out that Marx's theory laid the foundation for the science that socialists need to further develop in all aspects, lest they become outdated over time. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, along with globalization and international integration, are two major trends that profoundly dominate the development process of humankind, ushering in a new era with rapid technological breakthroughs in various fields. As Vietnam’s national interests and security will subsequently be directly affected, it is important to persist with Marxism-Leninism, which serves as the guiding star for constant research and fine-tuning of national security protection theory. These must remain in line with contemporary trends and national security protection requirements and tasks in the new era, as well as a basis for further research on comprehensive security in the framework of national security. It is essential to focus on researching and interpreting new perceptions and new thinking about national security as well as to develop security theory and the art of safeguarding national security, social security, and human security, and the building of a force specializing in national security protection as outlined in the documents of the 13th National Party Congress.

Second, researching and completing national security protection theory closely associated  with theoretical research and review of national defense, military, and diplomatic strategies. This concerns primarily the assessment of the 10-year implementation of the 11th Party Central Committee's 8th plenum’s Resolution on the Strategy on homeland protection in the new situation, involving coordination in reviewing and researching theory in key areas such as politics, economics, culture, and society to contribute to completing national security protection theory.

In line with guidelines of the Politburo and the Central Steering Committee for reviewing the 10-year implementation of the 11th Party Central Committee's 8th plenum’s Resolution on the Strategy on homeland protection in the new situation, research should concentrate on theoretical and practical issues related to the protection of the homeland, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security, as well as the maintenance of political and social stability to serve national construction and development in the new context and era. It is imperative to correctly identify the crucial role and position of safeguarding national security in the strategy on safeguarding the homeland as well as the dialectical relationship between the two tasks of security and national defense and the implication of national security protection in the strategy on safeguarding the homeland in accordance with the Party's viewpoint on "protecting the homeland early and from afar, and safeguarding the country before it is at risk." Theoretical research in politics, economics, culture, society, defense, military, and foreign affairs should be accelerated to further develop theory on national security protection in the new era.

Third, ensuring that the Central Public Security Party Committee and the Ministry of Public Security together focus on the thorough comprehension and effective implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress⁽¹⁰⁾, the Politburo’s Resolution 37-NQ/TW dated October 9, 2014, on "Theoretical work and research orientation until 2030," the Politburo’s Resolution 51-NQ/TW dated September 5, 2019, on the "Strategy on national security protection," the Central Public Security Party Committee’s Resolution 10-NQ/DUCA dated June 1, 2022, on "Promoting the People's Public Security theoretical work until 2030, with orientation until 2035," and the Minister of Public Security’s Directive 05/CT-BCA-V04 dated June 1, 2022, on "Promoting the People's Public Security theoretical work until 2030, with orientation until 2035.” It is necessary to review the current state of the People's Public Security theoretical system and theory in each field of security and order and to combine forecasting research with practical evaluations. Doing so will lead to the creation of a comprehensive, long-term strategy on the development of People's Public Security theory and complete national security protection theory in close association with effective implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 12-NQ/TW dated March 16, 2022, on "Promoting the building of a truly pure, strong, regular, elite, and modern People's Public Security force meeting all requirements and tasks in the new situation."

Fourth, completing national security protection theory to serve proactive international integration and actively participating in multilateral forums and security cooperation mechanisms.

It is essential to thoroughly comprehend Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s guidelines at the National Foreign Relations Conference to implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress on December 14, 2021, regarding the "unique foreign relations and diplomacy   of the Ho Chi Minh era, which bear the character of the Vietnamese bamboo, of strong roots, stout trunk, and flexible branches. Herein lives the soul, the spirit, and the mettle of the Vietnamese nation."⁽¹¹⁾ This thinking aims to apply correctly and creatively a complete national security protection theory in the process of international integration with the motto of "understanding others" and "knowing ourselves." It is important to study international lessons and experiences and clarify the content, strategies, methods, "objects of struggle," "partners," and global non-traditional security issues to create a solid foundation to effectively implement foreign affairs and security cooperation missions in the new era.

---------------------

(1) V.I. Lenin’s Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005, Vol. 6, p. 30
(2) Ho Chi Minh’s Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, Vol. 15, p. 113
(3) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1999, Vol. 36, p. 796
(4) V.I. Lenin’s Complete Works, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005, Vol. 37, p. 145
(5) Ibid., Vol. 38, p. 165
(6) The 3rd Politburo’s Resolution 40-NQ/TW, dated January 20, 1962, on “Consolidating and strengthening the public security force”
(7) Documents of the 11th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p. 82
(8) Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. 1, p. 159
(9) Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. 1, pp. 160,161
(10) Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, Vol. 1, p. 159 : “Continue researching and developing theory on national defense, military, security, military art, and the art of safeguarding national security and social order in the new situation.” 

(11) Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam by Nguyen Phu Trong, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2022, p. 14

This article was published in the Communist Review No. 1012 (April 2023)