Pol.Lt.Gen.Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Yem
Director of Center for Non-traditional Security Management and Administration Science Studies (NSMS,HSB,VNU)
Article summary:
In recent years, many non-traditional security threats have emerged in Vietnam. The article has analyzed and proposed non-traditional security management solutions to contribute to the sustainable development of the country in the current situation.
Keywords: Non-traditional security; management; prevention; response.
Resolution of the 13th Congress has set out many tasks to prevent and respond to non-traditional security threats, serving the sustainable development of the country.
History has proven that people cannot have a stable life and sustainable development without security and a country also cannot develop sustainably without ensuring security for people and businesses in all areas of life, manufacturing and trading. Non-traditional security is the guarantee of safety, without danger to individuals, nations, peoples and all of humanity against non-military threats such as climate change, environmental pollution, scarcity of energy resources, food, epidemics, financial crisis, cybersecurity, transnational crime, terrorism… Non-traditional security threats often spread rapidly and have wide impact to regions or the whole world, influenced by the negative side of the market economy, globalization, and the use of scientific and technological achievements. Non-traditional security threats cause countries to lose 30 – 60% of their GDP each year.
The goal of traditional security is stability and sustainable development of the State, regime, independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. The goal of non-traditional security is stability and sustainable development of society (community), businesses, and people. Non-traditional security management plays a particularly important role in addressing non-traditional security threats, contributing to national sustainable development.
Non-traditional security threat is to create a certain disaster for people or society or nation. Threats can be caused by people, organizations, countries, or by natural processes. In practice, non-traditional security threats are represented in two levels of danger and disaster. Non-traditional threat is any unusual event or phenomenon capable of causing damage to human life, causing damage to property and the environment, for example storm, flood, earthquake, fire, explosion, environmental pollution… Non-traditional security threat can happen suddenly such as flash floods, tsunamis, landslides. Threat can also occur slowly such as drought, desertification, etc. Non-traditional security threat will turn into a non-traditional security disaster when they occur in places with a high density of people living, operating, causing damage to human lives and property, infringing upon national security, adversely affecting the region and the world. For example, many people drowned or were injured, their houses, property and cattle were swept away or the same environmental pollution occurred in the previous Formosa incident, the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Non-traditional security management is an organizational and executive activity of the State (enterprise) to prevent and control non-traditional security threats, ensure safety, sustainable and steady development of the world, the region, the country, the society (business), people. In essence, non-traditional security threats management is the process of preventing, detecting, handling and eliminating non-traditional security threats from harming an agency, organization, locality, nation, region or the world. Non-traditional security management is an integral part of security management, national management. In the Science of Non-traditional Security Management, there is a formula:
(Subject’s NT Security = (1. Safety + 2. Stability + 3. Sustainable Development) – (1. Cost & Risk Management + 2. Cost & Crisis Management + 3. Cost & Management of Crisis Recovery)
S’S = (S1 + S2 + S3) – (C1 + C2 + C3)
S = 3S – 3C)
(From: Pol.Sen.Lt.Gen.Dr Nguyen Van Huong; Ass.Prof.Dr.Hoang Dinh Phi)
Non-traditional security threat management encompasses a range of interventions that can be undertaken before, during, and after a non-traditional security disaster to minimize loss of lives and assets, at the same time speeding up the recovery process.
The world organizes the management of 1 non-traditional security disaster through 5 steps: Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness (Readiness: preparing forces, facilities), Response, Recovery.
In fact, Vietnam has been applying a non-traditional security disaster management cycle model: prevention, mitigation, relief, recovery, reconstruction and development.
The non-traditional security disaster management cycle is a series of actions in succession to actively manage problems caused by non-traditional security disasters.
Prevention: includes measures to be taken when a non-traditional security disaster is forecasted to occur in order to respond in a timely and effective way. Preventive actions can minimize the impact of non-traditional security disasters such as building the capacity of specialized agencies such as the Army, Public Security, Health, sectors, and organizations in the community in order to effectively implement fire warning, fire fighting, search and rescue, evacuation and relief activities, develop and implement non-traditional security disaster prevention plans, storage of equipment and goods for timely mobilization, preparation of communication systems in emergency situations, propaganda to improve the qualifications of staff of specialized agencies and community awareness…
Mitigation: includes all measures that can be taken to minimize the impacts of a non-traditional security disaster and thereby mitigate the severity of the disaster. The mitigation measures can be physical / structural measures (dyke construction, safe house…); or legal measures (prohibiting people from building houses, producing or doing business in areas forecasted to have disasters…); or non-structural measures (training, public awareness, advocacy on development issues…).
Relief: includes activities carried out during and after a non-traditional security disaster to assist affected people such as: searching, rescuing, providing food and necessities, health care, necessary vehicle repair, psychological support…
Recovery: activities to restore basic services to help those affected by a non-traditional security disaster quickly recover, including: assistance with house repair, establishment of essential services, restore key socio-economic activities…
Reconstruction and development: measures taken to repair or replace damaged infrastructure in order to restore socio-economic activities. These activities include infrastructure reconstruction and the restoration of all services.
On the motto of management of non-traditional security disasters: “3 ready” and “4 on-spot”. Directing ideology: preventing non-traditional security disasters like fighting against foreign invaders under the unified direction of the Central Government. The motto “3 ready”: to prevent non-traditional security disasters like fighting against the enemy; proactively prevent, respond timely and repair promptly and effectively. The motto “4 on-spot”: on-spot command, on-spot forces, on-spot vehicles, on-spot logistics.
In non-traditional security management, it is necessary to implement many synchronous and comprehensive solutions, in which, special importance should be paid to prevention. When a non-traditional security disaster occurs, it is positive and proactive to respond quickly and effectively. At the same time, well implementing the 4 on-spot motto: on-spot command, on-spot forces, on-spot facilities, on-spot logistics. Develop plans, management measures, prevent and respond to non-traditional security threats from the grassroots with the participation of the entire political system and the entire people, in which the People’s Public Security and the People’s Army play a pivotal role. At the same time, attaching importance to staff training, building and investing in specialized forces to prevent and respond to non-traditional security threats.
According to the current laws of our country, the Government unifies the State management on traditional and non-traditional security. The Ministry of Public Security is answerable to the Government for the prime responsibility for, and coordinates with the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries and ministerial-level agencies in performing the State management on traditional and non-traditional security.
In the immediate future, to focus on investment in building and modernizing the Fire Fighiting and Rescue Police force under the Ministry of Public Security as the core to undertake the following tasks: fire prevention and fighting, rescue, response, addressing non-traditional security threats.
In the long term, it is necessary to build a specialized force to prevent and respond to non-traditional security threats in the direction of establishing a Ministry of Emergency as other countries or on the basis of the current Fire Fighting and Rescue Police force of the Ministry of Public Security, establishing the National Guard to undertake civil defense, emergency, and national guard functions like many countries in the world to be able to deal with and respond to non-traditional security threats.
References
1- Nguyen Van Huong (2014): Non-traditional security: Risks, challenges, policies and coping solutions in Vietnam. Hanoi School of Business, Hanoi National University, Hanoi National University Publishing House.
2- Nguyen Van Huong, Hoang Dinh Phi (2020), It is necessary to have good non-traditional security management for stable and sustainable development, Oriental Research Development Institute (ORDI), 26/02/2020.
3- To Lam, Nguyen Xuan Yem et al (2017), Non-traditional security in the era of international integration, People’s Public Security Publishing House, 2017.
4- Nguyen Viet Linh (2018), State management on non-traditional security as the functions of the People’s Public Security force, Doctoral thesis on Security and Social Order, People’s Police Academy.
5- Mely Caballero Anthony, Alistair D.B.Cook (2016): An Introduction to Non-traditional Security in Asia: Issues, Challenges and Framework for Action, Singapore.
