Cases of mobilization of reserve forces in Vietnam

Cases of mobilization of reserve forces in Vietnam (Internet image)

1. Composition of the military reserve force in Vietnam

According to Clause 1, Article 2 of the Law on Military Reserve Forces 2019, military reserve force includes reserve servicemen and technical equipment that are registered, managed and placed in reserve units to be available when permanent standing bodies of People’s Military Forces require additional manpower.

- Reserve serviceman (reservist) comprises reserve officers, professional reserve servicemen and non-commissioned officers and reserve soldiers that are registered under the provisions of the Law on Officers of People’s Army of Vietnam 1999 (amended in 2008, 2014), the Law on Professional Servicemen, defence employees and staff and the Law on Military Service 2015.

- Reserve technical equipment refers to property kept under the control of Vietnamese entities, organizations or citizens, including

+ Means of road transport, water transport, civil aviation transport, road and other construction equipment, equipment designed for loading, unloading of goods;

+ Means of communication, medical equipment and supplies, and several other equipment and accessories, all of which are registered to meet infrastructure demands of People’s Armed Forces.

(Clause 2, 3, Article 2 of the Law on Military Reserve Forces 2019)

2. Cases of mobilization of reserve forces in Vietnam

Cases of mobilization of reserve forces in Vietnam as prescribed in Article 24 of the Law on Military Reserve Forces 2019, include:

(1) Reserve forces shall be mobilized under general or local mobilization commands.

The mobilizing reserve forces under general or local mobilization commands is specified in Article 25 of the Law on Military Reserve Forces 2019 as follows:

- The Prime Minister shall decide the number of reservists and reserve technical equipment to be mobilized by Ministries, Ministry-level agencies, Governmental bodies, provinces and centrally-affiliated cities.

- Based on the Prime Minister’s decisions, the Minister of National Defense shall order mobilization of reserve units under the command of Ministries, Ministry-level agencies, Governmental bodies and provinces or centrally-affiliated cities.

- Based on the Prime Minister’s decisions, orders of mobilization given by the Minister of National Defense or mobilization of reserve forces shall be subject to the following regulations:

+ Authorized persons specified in the Law on Officers of the People’s Army of Vietnam, the Law on Career Servicemen, National Defence Workers or Employees and the Law on Military Service shall decide to call up reservists to active military duty;

+ Ministers, Heads of Ministry-level agencies or Governmental bodies shall decide to assemble or concentrate reserve technical equipment from reserve units under their jurisdiction;

+ Chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall decide to mobilize reserve technical equipment within their remit; if units of the People's Army do not have operators, they may decide to mobilize reservists to be appointed to operators of such equipment.

Chairpersons of district-level People’s Committees shall supervise implementation of decisions issued by Chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees on mobilization and assembly of reserve technical equipment and operators thereof.

(2) Reserve forces shall be mobilized under martial law orders.

(3) Reserve forces shall be mobilized if there is any threat to national security, social order or safety which is not so serious that a state of emergency needs to be declared.

(4) Reserve forces shall be mobilized to prevent, control and mitigate consequences of calamities, natural disasters or dangerous diseases.

Article 26 of the Law on Military Reserve Forces 2019 stipulates the mobilizing reserve forces in response to the situations in which general or local mobilization commands are not needed as follows:

- Mobilizing reserve forces in response to the situations in which general or local mobilization commands are not needed shall include cases specified in (2), (3), (4)

- Chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall decide to mobilize reserve servicemen and technical equipment in cases referred to in (3), (4).

Chairpersons of district-level People’s Committees shall supervise implementation of decisions issued by Chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees on mobilization of reserve servicemen and technical equipment.

- Commanders of units of the People’s Army authorized to take charge of localities under martial law shall make decisions on mobilization of reserve servicemen and technical equipment.

Van Trong

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