On the morning of November 28, with 458/459 delegates in favor, the National Assembly passed the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Officers of the Vietnam People's Army. The Law takes effect from December 1.
Lieutenant General Le Tan Toi - Chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee - said that some opinions proposed to regulate the age of military officers in accordance with the Labor Code and the Law on Public Security; proposed to regulate the retirement age suitable for each military branch, service, and in accordance with the nature, environment, and working area.
Delegate authority to the Minister of National Defense to regulate retirement age for certain command and management positions, but not higher than the age according to military rank.
Regarding this issue, the National Assembly Standing Committee said that due to the different structures, organizations, nature, tasks, and combat objects of the army and the police, increasing the retirement age of army officers to the same age as that of police officers or to the same age as workers according to the Labor Code will not ensure that officers, especially officers in combat-ready units, have enough health to complete their tasks.
Every year, the army still has to recruit military personnel to arrange and rejuvenate the squad-level cadres. If the age is increased compared to the draft law, it will cause surplus and congestion in the officer corps.
Increasing the retirement age of officers as in the draft law will both preserve the contingent of officers with basic training, courage, qualifications, experience, health in command, management, research, and consulting, and the number of highly qualified officers to have more time to serve in the army, meeting the requirements of building a modern army; ensuring that officers basically have enough years of social insurance participation to receive a maximum pension of 75%.
Therefore, the National Assembly Standing Committee proposed that the National Assembly keep the regulation on the maximum age limit for officers serving in the army as in the draft law.
Regarding the highest age of active service (retirement age) for officers according to military rank, the newly passed law stipulates an increase of 1 to 5 years compared to the current law.
Accordingly, the retirement age for lieutenants is 50 years old; Majors 52; Lieutenant Colonels 54; Lieutenant Colonels 56; Colonels 58 and Generals 60 years old.
When the military has a need, officers with sufficient political, moral, capacity, health and volunteer qualities can have their service age extended for no more than 5 years. In special cases, their service age may be extended according to regulations of the Minister of National Defense.
Article 15 of the Law stipulates the highest military rank with the position and title of an officer. Accordingly, the military rank of General has no more than 3, including: Minister of National Defense; Chief of the General Staff and Director of the General Political Department.
Senior Lieutenant Generals and Navy Admirals: no more than 14, including: Deputy Minister of National Defense, Navy Admirals (no more than 6 people); Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics (each position has the highest military rank of Senior Lieutenant General, no more than 3). In addition, there are also Directors and Political Commissars of the National Defense Academy.
The positions and titles with the highest military ranks are Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral of the Navy; Major General, Rear Admiral of the Navy, with a number of no more than 398.
Thus, the total number of highest general ranks is 415 people.
The seconded military officer elected to hold the position of Chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee has the highest military rank of Senior Lieutenant General.
Seconded military officers approved to hold the position of Deputy Chairman of the National Defense and Security Committee are appointed to the position of Deputy Minister or equivalent position or title, with the highest military rank being Lieutenant General.
