President Vo Van Thuong attends the Opening Ceremony at the National Defense Academy

President Vo Van Thuong gives a directive speech. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Also attending were General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense .

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the President asked the National Defense Academy to strive to be a worthy leader in innovation, improve the qualityof education and training, and actively contribute to building a contingent of military cadres and strategic cadres of the Party and State to meet the requirements of building and defending the Fatherland in the new situation.

In the 2022-2023 school year, thoroughly grasping the resolutions, directives and mottos of the Party, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, the National Defense Academy has promoted the implementation of "Three breakthroughs": Improving training - education, scientific research; building a team of cadres and lecturers; building an information technology infrastructure system. With the motto: "taking learners as the center", the Academy has completed training for 28 concentrated classes with 817 students.

The Academy's scientific research activities have been promoted, implementing research on many national and Ministry of National Defense level scientific topics; participating in research summarizing practices, especially summarizing 10 years of implementing Resolution 8 of the 11th Central Committee on the Fatherland Protection Strategy in the new situation; summarizing the National Defense Strategy, Military Strategy and many other strategies. The Academy has closely followed the practical situation, proactively advised the Party, State, Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defense to plan policies, guidelines, mechanisms and policies on national defense, security and military; building armed forces, Army; on economic, cultural and social development associated with national defense, security, building and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

President Vo Van Thuong and delegates perform the flag-saluting ceremony. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Along with that, the Academy has made many efforts and made important contributions to implementing the foreign policy of the Party and State; successfully completing the task of training international defense officials; expanding delegation exchanges, academic research, and sharing experiences at bilateral and multilateral international forums, especially the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), contributing to enhancing Vietnam's position in the region and internationally.

President Vo Van Thuong praised and highly appreciated the achievements of the National Defense Academy in the past school year. The Academy has thoroughly grasped and implemented the Party's guidelines and policies, directives, orders and plans from superiors on education and training, combat readiness; built regulations, managed discipline, proposed many solutions to improve the quality of education and training, and determined that "The quality of training of the school is the combat readiness of the unit". In addition, it proactively updated the situation, closely followed the country's reality, defense and security tasks, the development of the armed forces and the Army to include them in the content and training programs.

The President emphasized that the achievements and results achieved by the National Defense Academy in the 2022-2023 school year have significantly contributed to the process of training, fostering, and improving the quality of cadres of the Party, State, armed forces, and Army.

Informing that the 2023-2024 school year takes place in the context of the world and regional situation forecast to remain complicated, unpredictable, and potentially destabilizing, the President requested the National Defense Academy to continue to innovate and improve the quality of training and education, especially innovating the training program for campaign and strategic cadres of the Army; fostering defense and security knowledge for cadres under the Central management, ensuring close compliance with the country's defense and security tasks and the development of the Army; in line with the current combat objects and methods of warfare in the world.

Emphasizing the importance of summarizing practices, researching and developing defense, security and military science, the President said that the Academy needs to inherit and creatively apply the military art of our ancestors, focus on theoretical research, summarize the practice of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation to develop military theory, defense and security, especially new awareness and new thinking on protecting the Fatherland, do a good job of analyzing, researching, evaluating and accurately forecasting the situation related to defense and security, promptly advise the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defense on policies and measures to proactively prevent and have appropriate countermeasures to protect the Fatherland "early and from afar", not to be passive and surprised in any situation.

President Vo Van Thuong visits the Traditional Room of the National Defense Academy. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Along with that, special attention is paid to building a team of lecturers and leading scientists of the Academy with strong political will, absolute loyalty to Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, the Party, the State, the people and the Army; having high professional qualifications, understanding of practice, rich in creativity, passionate about scientific research. Each lecturer and researcher must strive to have valuable research products applied in practice. Through their research, they contribute to affirming and enriching and deepening the military and defense theories of our Party and Army.

The President noted that each student must be deeply aware of and identify their responsibilities and honors as students of the National Defense Academy, thereby working together to build a friendly, modern, and debate-rich learning environment, cultivate knowledge and experience, and improve thinking ability to correctly perceive problems, have methods, and confidently solve practical problems. It is necessary to determine the right motivation for learning, "Learning to work, to be a human being, to be a cadre. Learning to serve the organization, to serve the class and the people, to serve the Fatherland and humanity" as Uncle Ho taught. Each student must always practice ideological stance, political mettle, ethics, style, and lifestyle; overcome the fear and laziness of studying political theory. Have a sense of discipline, have a healthy style and lifestyle, and strictly comply with the rules and regulations of the Academy. We must consider the time studying at the National Defense Academy as an opportunity and an environment to improve our level and knowledge of national defense and security, and to learn practical experience from other students.

Regarding international cooperation, the President suggested that the Academy continue to expand and improve the effectiveness of cooperation with other National Defense and Military Academies and Universities around the world and continue to open training courses for international defense officials. These are very important tasks, contributing to the implementation of the Party and State's foreign policy in the current situation.

President Vo Van Thuong with leaders and students of the National Defense Academy. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

The President noted the work of building the Party Committee of the Academy to be strong in politics, ideology, organization, and ethics; associated with building a strong, comprehensive, "exemplary, typical" Academy. The Academy continues to effectively implement the resolutions, conclusions, directives, and regulations of the Party on building and rectifying the Party and the political system, and of the Central Military Commission on "Promoting the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers, resolutely fighting against individualism in the new situation"; actively participating in the struggle on the ideological and theoretical front, contributing to firmly protecting the ideological foundation and guidelines of the Party. The Academy constantly cares for the material and spiritual life of cadres, lecturers, students, employees, and soldiers; focuses on building an advanced, exemplary cultural and pedagogical environment, resolutely preventing negativity from infiltrating the Academy.

The President believes that with the glorious tradition of 46 years of construction, development and growth, the National Defense Academy will definitely successfully complete its tasks in the 2023-2024 school year; at the same time, determine solid steps on the theoretical and practical foundations that our Army and Party have achieved.

According to VNA

Source