Criteria for considering early salary increase for colonel and lieutenant officers

The Lao Dong Newspaper Legal Consulting Office replied:

Clause 1, Article 7 of Circular 18/2025/TT-BQP of the Ministry of National Defense regulating the conferment of military ranks for graduates in military training; promotion of officers of colonel and lieutenant ranks beyond the term and raising officers' salaries ahead of schedule (effective from March 22, 2025) stipulates the criteria and standards for considering early salary increase as follows:

1. Officers with the highest military rank of the position or title being held will be considered for early salary increase when falling into one of the following cases:

b) Colonel and lieutenant officers:

To be awarded one of the forms of commendation prescribed in Clause 1, Article 5 of this Circular, the salary will be considered for early salary increase after the officer has a commendation decision.

To be awarded one of the forms of compensation specified in Point b, Clause 1, Article 6 of this Circular, salary increase will be considered no more than 24 months in advance.

If there are sufficient criteria and standards to consider promoting military ranks before the deadline prescribed in Point c, Clause 1 and Clause 2, Clause 3, Article 6 of this Circular, the salary increase will be considered no more than 12 months in advance.

2. In case during the term, cadres achieve many achievements, only one achievement will be applied to consider early salary increase (the remaining achievements will not be reserved); if not considered, one of the achievements has been reserved to consider early salary increase for the next salary increase.

3. Special cases not specified in Clause 1 of this Article shall be considered and decided by competent authorities.

Thus, officers at the colonel and lieutenant levels who want to be considered for early salary increase need to meet the criteria according to the above regulations.