The current Law on Officers stipulates that the service age for lieutenant colonels, majors, and captains is 51, 48, and 46 years old, respectively, which has had a significant impact on the thoughts, aspirations, and motivations of each officer. How to gradually and satisfactorily resolve the legitimate aspirations of officers in this category is always an issue that the Ha Tinh Military Party Committee and other Party committees at all levels are interested in finding a solution to.

Lesson 1:

Concerns about retirement age regulations for military officers

The retirement age of officers under the Law on Officers of the Vietnam People's Army (issued and effective since 1999) is "different" from the Labor Code (issued and effective since 2019). This not only makes the lives of officers difficult when they retire, but also wastes human resources serving in the army who are at the peak of their qualifications, capacity and practical experience.

Young officers newly graduated from school were assigned to the Provincial Military Command to visit and learn about the unit's traditions before taking up work at agencies and units.

Insider's thoughts

Formerly a training assistant at the Ky Anh District Military Command, in April 2021, Major Tran Trong Thuy (Dong Tien village, Ky Dong commune, Ky Anh district) received a retirement decision according to the current Law on Officers. With 48 years of age, more than 30 years of military service (30.3 years of social insurance contributions), upon retirement, he will only receive 69% of the salary compared to an incumbent major.

Major Tran Trong Thuy, former Training Assistant, Ky Anh District Military Command, retired at the age of 46, is struggling to open a bicycle repair shop to improve his income and cover family expenses.

He decided to retire when his family was facing many difficulties. His mother had passed away, his father had a spinal cord injury and was bedridden; his wife was a librarian at Ky Dong Primary School, and their two children were still in school. All family expenses depended on the couple's very small salary. Due to such circumstances, he had to work as a bicycle repairman and take on additional farming work, but life was still difficult.

“Retiring at this age, with the special field in the military, it is very difficult for most majors and lieutenant colonels to find extra work to improve their income and cover their living expenses. Therefore, we just hope that the State will amend the Law on Officers and extend the age of active service because at this age, most officers are healthy, knowledgeable, and have enough work experience to reduce difficulties for their families when they retire,” Mr. Thuy shared.

Major Tran Trong Thuy's family situation is currently facing many difficulties.

As for Major Hoang Minh Hai (born in 1975, from Thach Khe commune, Thach Ha), he studied at Vinhempich college and the Military Technical Academy, graduated with good grades, the dream of many of his peers. As a person with basic training, Hai has gone through different positions in the military engineering industry and developed to the position of Head of the Motorcycle Department, Technical Department, Ha Tinh Provincial Military Command with the rank of Major.

With his current title, Hoang Minh Hai's military rank ceiling is lieutenant colonel, but due to the age limit set by the Law on Officers, he received a decision to retire at the age of 48 at the end of September 2023. Lieutenant Colonel Le Xuan Phu - Head of the Technical Department of the Provincial Military Command shared: "Comrade Hai has basic training, has qualifications, knowledge and solid professional capacity in the military motorcycle industry, and can develop to a higher level. Although his military rank ceiling is lieutenant colonel, he had to retire early when there was less than 1 year left to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel."

Major Hoang Minh Hai, when he was the Head of the Motorcycle Department, Technical Department, Provincial Military Command (the person who is imparting knowledge), always proactively advised the Technical Department and the head of the Provincial Military Command to improve the quality of motorcycle assurance for the armed forces.

Unlike Major Tran Trong Thuy and Major Hoang Minh Hai, Lieutenant Colonel Dao Xuan Hung - former Head of the Organization Department, Political Department (Provincial Military Command) is considered a "commander" of the Party building organization sector with capacity, deep expertise, always dedicated, devoted, putting the work of the agency first, first of all to advise the Party Committee, Provincial Military Command to deploy Party building organization work with quality and depth. For many years, he has been continuously rewarded in various forms, including 8 consecutive years being recognized as a grassroots emulation soldier.

Lieutenant Colonel Dao Xuan Hung, while holding the position of Head of the Organization Department, Political Department, Provincial Military Command (second from right), always promoted his responsibility, devoted himself, and set a good example to pass on experience to young officers (Photo taken in 2021).

In June 2023, Lieutenant Colonel Dao Xuan Hung decided to retire at the age of 51 when he was at the peak of his qualifications, professional capacity, practical experience and achievements because he was "stuck" with the retirement age regulation (lieutenant colonel rank not exceeding 51) according to the current Law on Officers.

According to the current survey, of the total number of officers and professional soldiers in agencies and units, officers with the rank of lieutenant colonel and major account for 76.1%. From 2018 to present, the Provincial Military Party Committee has resolved the retirement and retirement waiting regime for 220 officers; of which, the rank of major and lieutenant colonel accounts for 61.3%. These officers are mainly transferred from main units, are old and have not held corresponding positions, so it is very difficult to consider sending them for study and training.

Finding solutions to "eliminate inertia" and the "past planning age" mindset

According to the current Law on Officers, the age of service for officers as prescribed for lieutenant colonel, major, and captain is 51, 48, and 46 years old, respectively. For the major rank, whose salary coefficient is already low, when they retire, they will only receive 65-68% because they have not paid social insurance for 35 years. From that reality, most officers of the rank of lieutenant colonel and below, when reaching this age, will inevitably have concerns and worries when they think that they no longer have the opportunity to develop further, giving up, working half-heartedly, and ineffectively.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan - Deputy Political Commissar, Military Command of Vu Quang District (the person in charge) is one of the young officers who have just been transferred from Military Region 4 to take up the task, and has always closely followed the base to direct the successful implementation of military and defense tasks in the locality.

The problem that Party committees at all levels are concerned about is how to overcome the "inertia" and the inherent mindset of "being past the planning age" in the awareness of some officers with the rank of lieutenant colonel or lower, especially the assistant team at the Military Command of districts, cities and towns at present. This will be the key to breaking down barriers, "erasing inertia", creating motivation to strive and improve, and providing peace of mind for a number of current cadres.

The Political Department is an advisory body to the Standing Party Committee and the Head of the Military Command of Ha Tinh province on personnel work in the provincial armed forces. To remove obstacles in implementing the current Law on Officers, the Party Committee of the Department has advised on many synchronous breakthrough solutions to innovate and improve the quality of personnel work. Colonel Phan Huy Tam - Head of Politics, Provincial Military Command said: "The agency has boldly advised, directed the assessment and correct comments on the capacity of each officer, from which it proposed to select and arrange officers who meet the conditions and standards in terms of quality and capacity, have the right age, have been trained and tested through practice to create a source of development to the positions of management, command and suitable titles, have corresponding military ranks and improve the salary before retirement".

The staff and officers in agencies and units always promote their pioneering and creative role in scientific research, promoting initiatives to improve technical applications effectively in performing tasks.

To do this, Party committees and commanders at all levels need to evaluate and classify the training, command, and training management capacity of cadres at all levels to have a training plan according to the motto "Superiors train subordinates, commanders train units, experienced cadres train young cadres, combined with encouragement and creating conditions for cadres to self-study and self-train", "each weak point is carefully trained".

Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thang - Commander of the Provincial Military Command said: "Boldly arranging and appointing cadres will create opportunities for them to contribute and demonstrate themselves, thereby promoting enthusiasm, responsibility, accumulating skills, experience, and cultivating command and management methods. And through practice, they will affirm their qualifications and abilities, fulfill their duties and responsibilities well, harmoniously resolve relationships, and create new momentum in each agency and unit."

The team of young officers and staff at Regiment 841 always attaches importance to studying, researching innovation, improving training quality, and being ready for combat.

However, in reality, solving this problem at the district military agency level is very difficult because it is bound by criteria and regulations. At the Can Loc District Military Party Committee, up to 76% of officers with the rank of lieutenant colonel and major are currently at the "ceiling" level and must be considered for a salary increase because they do not meet the criteria for appointment to equivalent positions to be considered for promotion to higher ranks.

The leaders of the Can Loc District Military Command regularly train and improve the qualifications and capacity of the staff and officers.

Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Trong Thanh - Deputy Political Commissar, Can Loc District Military Command said that competent authorities need to consider and take measures to resolve the current shortcomings in the retirement age of officers.

Spring Treatment

(To be continued)