Thayer, Carlyle A

Abstract
The role of the military in a Leninist political system represents a distinct sub‐set of civil‐ military relations. The military is required to play a domestic political role in support of the one‐party regime in addition to its role as defender of the state from external attack. This paper presents a case study of the political role of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) in contemporary Vietnam. Vietnam’s long years of revolution and war have resulted in the military’s engagement with society in a number of state‐building activities such as economic‐defence zones, national defence industry, commercial enterprise, and socialization of the general public through universal conscription and compulsory defence education for students. Since 1991 the VPA has come under pressure to reform and then divest itself of commercial enterprises not directly related to national security. The military’s political influence at the national level has decreased in line with a noticeable trend in military professionalism and institutional autonomy. These developments do not mean that the Vietnamese military will withdraw entirely to the barracks. As a result of historical legacies the Vietnam People’s Army will continue to play a major role in society through national conscription; the maintenance of large reserves, militia and self‐defence forces; defence education, and socio‐economic development in economic‐defence zones. The newly emerging threat to sovereignty in Vietnam’s East Sea will intensify the trend towards military professionalism and institutional autonomy.
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