Vietnam’s Central Military Commission Reviews Proposal for Local Military Restructuring

Hanoi, The Gulf Observer: Party General Secretary Tô Lâm chaired the 13th conference of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Military Commission (CMC) on Wednesday to review and provide feedback on a proposal aimed at creating a more streamlined, efficient, and capable local military structure to meet modern defense demands.

The meeting convened top leaders of the Party, State, and armed forces to discuss significant restructuring plans under new national strategies.

The proposal, presented by the CMC’s Standing Committee, seeks to reorganize local military commands in alignment with national resolutions on state apparatus reform, administrative unit streamlining, and the development of a two-tier local governance model. The Ministry of National Defence, under the CMC’s direction, has developed the proposal through extensive consultations and revisions.

The plan outlines methods for adjusting local military command structures alongside the planned reduction of provincial and commune-level administrative units and the potential removal of district-level governments. It emphasizes that restructuring efforts must be grounded in national defense realities, incorporate strategic Party and State guidance, and reflect Vietnam’s military traditions and historical experiences in warfare. Additionally, it considers the evolving nature of global and regional conflicts.

Conference discussions explored the scope, guiding principles, objectives, and implementation challenges of the proposal, with participants offering solutions to address potential obstacles. The importance of maintaining local military units as a core force in national defense while adapting to new administrative and strategic realities was underscored.

In his concluding remarks, General Secretary Tô Lâm, also the Secretary of the CMC, affirmed that the reorganization must align with Vietnam’s military and defense strategies while ensuring the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam over the People’s Army. He emphasized that the military must continue to play a central role in building and implementing an all-people national defense posture and safeguarding national sovereignty.

The proposal calls for reducing intermediary levels of command, enhancing operational efficiency, and strengthening the role of provincial Military Commands and Border Guard units, particularly in light of upcoming provincial mergers. It also aims to improve the integration between military and civilian defense plans, especially in border protection and territorial security.

General Secretary Tô Lâm urged careful, scientific, and context-appropriate adjustments, drawing from past organizational models and current socio-economic realities. He emphasized the need to develop a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern local military and border guard system, structured for both peacetime operations and rapid expansion when necessary.

To implement the plan, the General Secretary tasked the CMC’s Standing Committee with finalizing the proposal for submission to the Politburo. Once approved, a resolution will be issued for nationwide implementation.