Vietnam’s legacy 1970s armed forces are gradually being updated with new equipment as defence spending increases.
Some of the largest increases in military expenditure seen in Southeast Asia since the mid-2000s have led to a fundamental shift in the military power of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN). Its defence budget is understood to have grown almost fourfold in local currency from $1.3 billion (20.5 trillion ng) in 2006 to approximately $4.6 billion (100 trillion đồng) in 2015.
Modernisation efforts have been driven almost exclusively by the threat posed by China over Vietnam’s territorial and resource claims in the contested South China Sea, and has resulted in a focus on the Vietnamese People’s Army’s (VPA) defensive and power projection capabilities to enable it to secure the country’s maritime interests.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Vietnam’s defence expenditure in 2018 was the fourth largest in Southeast Asia at $5.5 billion, just after Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. It is expected that the figure will surpass $6 billion by 2020.
Land force modernisation
Vietnam’s most recent Defence White Paper, released in 2009, defines the PAVN as ‘an army from the people and for the people’ whose role is ‘aimed at firmly protecting independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and national security in all aspects’.
Although the largest and most experienced of the three services, the army faces an uphill task in raising its professionalism and maintaining its large inventories of Chinese and Soviet-made legacy combat vehicles and equipment, particularly with the loss of foreign assistance following its conflict with the People’s Republic of China and subsequently the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Esta historia es de la edición June/July 2019 de Asian Military Review.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June/July 2019 de Asian Military Review.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
SMART MUNITIONS INCREASE MARKET SHARE
Top attack munitions are now widely developed for different artillery calibers with varied ranges.
NEXT GEN NVGS - A CLEAR IMPROVEMENT
Fused and enhanced night-vision technology will make the difference to soldiers fighting at night.
MILITARY ROTORCRAFT DEVELOPMENT - NO MORE ‘STOVEPIPES'
New rotorcraft are going to come with new abilities founded on open systems that provide easier upgrade paths and cheaper through life costs.
INDO PACIFIC UAV DIRECTORY 2021
The development of unmanned aerial vehicles is growing apace, especially in China. New longer range ISR platforms are also on the procurement list of several nations.
TIME TO RESET TRILATERAL RELATIONS
United States President Joe Biden has made it a top priority of his Administration to repair and re-energize global alliances during its first year in power. This is a necessary strategic and political calculus made in light of growing global security, public health, and environmental challenges that will require cooperation and multilateral contributions. President Trump’s ‘America first’ policy did much to undermine confidence in such relationships over his time in office.
SOCPAC KEEN TO SHARE JOINT DOCTRINE AND TRAINING
The return of Great Power competition means that US SOCPAC is more than ever seeking joint training opportunities with regional special forces.
MARINE ENGINE POWER - NOT JUST ABOUT KNOTS
Navies not only want more engine power, there are also coming under increasing pressure to become environmentally conscious.
AMPHIBIOUS FORCES
New amphibious concepts are re-shaping marine forces to break the A2AD defensive line.
SPACE V AIRBORNE ISR OR MIX AND MATCH
Owning satellite based ISR for military use is still an exclusive ‘club’, but airborne ISR still provides that most countries need.
SHIPBUILDING - A NUMBERS GAME
While experience grows among Indo-Pacific naval designers, order numbers remain crucial to keeping costs down and yards in business.