(VOVworld) – Vietnam should build an elite, modern army, strong in political thought and international cooperation.

Military staff and soldiers of Maritime Police Boat 4033. (Photo: Trong Duc /VNA)

This is the gist of an article by Colonel Vu Khanh of the National Defence Ministry’s Military Strategy Institute.

Published on the website of the Vietnam News Agency on Tuesday, Colonel Khanh’s article says the Vietnamese Army should strive to be a political force loyal to the Party, government, and people and able to meet the new requirements of national construction and defense.

According to the article, the Vietnamese military will consistently pursue international defense cooperation, particularly the navy, in a spirit of friendship, to safeguard national maritime security. Vietnam will attach special importance to exchanges with the naval forces of other countries to improve understanding and trust toward preventing possible conflicts and maintaining peace and stability in disputed areas of the East Sea

Colonel Khanh noted that the Vietnamese People’s Army will directly participate in UN peace-keeping activities, considering it an important task of international integration and foreign policy. He said resolving non-traditional security issues is another priority top in Vietnam’s defense cooperation with other countries in the region.