Party General Secretary To Lam, who is also Secretary of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at the event ; National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man was also present. State President Luong Cuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent congratulatory flowers.

Born in the earliest days of the revolutionary government and growing alongside the armed forces and the nation, Vietnam’s Defence Intelligence has been absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland and the Army. Relying on the people and operating close to the enemy, it has continually advanced and fulfilled assigned tasks excellently, contributing significantly to national liberation, defence, state-building and international obligations, thus writing heroic chapters in its history.

Speaking on behalf of the Party and State in presenting the Ho Chi Minh Order to General Department II, the Party chief affirmed that across 80 years of formation, combat and development, successive generations of defence intelligence officers have shown firm political resolve and absolute loyalty to the revolutionary cause of the Party. Quietly carrying out missions, they have taken the initiative in decisive actions against the enemy, overcome every test and difficulty, and completed their duties with distinction.

Those unseen contributions and sacrifices have enriched the proud tradition of the heroic People’s Army of Vietnam. The Party General Secretary praised the defence intelligence officers - “the soldiers of Uncle Ho” on the intelligence front - whose loyalty, integrity, sacrifices and service have earned the special trust of the Party, the State, the Army and the people.

Regarding future tasks, he said the world is entering an era of epochal change; global and regional conditions will remain complex and volatile. Domestically, advantages coexist with many difficulties and challenges, raising ever higher requirements for national construction and defence, including the tasks of defence intelligence.

To meet these demands, he said defence intelligence must continuously strengthen its class character and revolutionary nature, affirming itself as the Party’s, State’s and Army’s absolutely loyal and specially trusted force. It must continue to perform effectively as the Party’s strategic intelligence body and as the military intelligence agency under the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence.

Defence intelligence must serve more effectively and decisively the leadership of the Party, State and Army, as well as relevant commissions, ministries and localities in assessing and forecasting situations, setting policies and responding to contingencies. The sector must strive to raise the quality of its operations further and preserve the special trust placed in it by national leaders.

The General Secretary also called for regular reviews of organizational structures and improvement of institutional arrangements toward being “streamlined, effective and fit for function,” ensuring closer alignment between quantity and quality, among components of the force, and between assigned functions and organizational scale, capacity and succession.

He urged the building of a solid, flexible intelligence posture that maximizes the combined strength of methods and forces. In addition, the defence intelligence sector must concentrate on developing a revolutionary intelligence cadre as the foundation of a revolutionary intelligence force -officers with firm political character, keen insight and professional acumen; with professional knowledge and expertise commensurate with their responsibilities; and with reasonable numbers and steadily improving quality to meet both immediate and long-term tasks.

PM asks defence intelligence force to well prepare for tougher tasks

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 26 visited officers and soldiers of the Ministry of National Defence’s General Department for Defence Intelligence (General Department II), during which the PM asked them to be prepared to continue completing all assigned tasks in 2024 and following years.