Army Corps 2 is a main, strategic mobile unit of the Ministry of National Defence, mainly tasked with training and combat readiness; therefore, the work of technical support plays a role of paramount importance. Fully aware of that, over the past years, the Corps has focused its leadership and direction on the synchronous adoption of measures for the improved quality and efficiency of its technical support, thereby ensuring its successful fulfilment of all the assigned tasks. However, the task of increasing the Corps’ capability of manoeuvrability and its combat strength to operate in all situations has been imposing new requirements for its technical work. A part from advantages, the Corps’ technical work is now experiencing many a difficulty as its assigned weapons, equipment and vehicles are varied; most of them have been in use for a long time; their technical specifications are unstable; and the demand for maintenance, repair and systematization is high. In the meantime, the Corps’ technical branch’s organizational structure and the capability of its depots and technical maintenance facilities have yet to meet the development of its tasks; its budget for technical maintenance and procurement of materials and accessories is limited. To successfully accomplish the assigned task, the Corps’ Party Executive Committee and Command have taken measures for the improved quality of its technical work synchronously as follows.

To start with, the Corps has strengthened leadership and direction of party committees and commanders at all levels over the technical work, while promoting the core role of the Technical Branch in the advisory work and the process of implementation. Grounded in resolutions, directions and orders on technical work made by higher echelons, particularly the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 382/NQ-ĐUQSTW on “leading the technical work in the new situation”, the Corps has developed its leadership resolution and plans for technical work in accordance with its particularities and tasks. It has directed its affiliates to step up education to raise troops’ awareness of the importance, advantages and difficulties of the technical work, thereby promoting the spirit of self-reliance and heightening a sense of responsibility, particularly the exemplary role of party committees and key cadres as well as the core role of technical staff during the course of implementation. Over the past years, it has successfully implemented the Action Plan for implementation of the Resolution 382/NQ-ĐUQSTW, the Campaign “effective, sustainable, safe, economical management and exploitation of weapons and equipment, and traffic safety” as well as targets for the technical work. Notably, it has accomplished the planning of the system of depots and technical depots ranging from tactical level to campaign level. At the same time, it has actively mobilized resources, particularly its internal ones, to upgrade the system of technical depots, stations and workshops at all levels in terms of site, technology, repair equipment, ensuring standardization and unity. In 2016, it invested tens of billions VND in upgrading its general technical depot, categorizing and arranging weapons and ammo according to each task and project. Up to now, over 80% of its depots and shelters of weapons and equipment has been built in accordance with technical standard. 85% of technical stations and workshops of infantry divisions, arm brigades, and general technical battalions has been upgraded and supplemented with modern specialized repair equipment and technologies. By 2019, it strives to have 100% of its technical facilities standardized. Moreover, its Technical Branch has actively worked with functional agencies to implement the Project to dieselize military transport vehicles and fulfilled the dieselization of 100% of transport vehicles of full-strength units, which has been highly appreciated by the General Department of Technology.

Currently, it has placed stress on technical support for tasks, particularly for training and combat readiness. Accordingly, the Technical Branch has reviewed equipment, proposed the removal of the obsolete one, received, allocated, transferred and withdrawn weapons and equipment in accordance with regulations, while promoting its core role in managing, maintaining and repairing weapons and equipment. The Corps has requested units to strictly maintain the regulations on technical work and improve the quality of  “Technical Hour” and “Technical Day”. Weekly and monthly, all vehicles are kick-started and tested their technical condition. It has also stepped up innovation of methods and procedures of technical maintenance; applied information technology to performing technical tasks; speeded up inspection and verification of repaired weapons and equipment. Noticeably, it has accelerated decentralization of technical support, attached importance to the improved quality of unit-based maintenance and repair in association with the boosted efficiency of stations, workshops and modern equipment; while closely combining on-site maintenance and repair with mobile repair. To date, it has repaired and systematized 100% of the 325^th Infantry Division’s guns, vehicles, equipment and ammo, 100% of its arm brigades’ weapons and equipment for combat readiness duty; and 100% of its construction vehicles. The technical specification of its weapons and equipment has been always maintained at high level. In 2017, it opportunely, sufficiently, accurately, systematically provided high-quality weapons and equipment for the live-fire combined arms and services exercise, which was highly appreciated by the Commandants of the Ministry of National Defence and the General Department of Technology.

For a main Corps, manoeuvrability is of utmost importance and directly affects its fulfilment of the assigned tasks. Thus, besides proper regard paid to technical support and frequent maintenance of technical specification of its weapons, equipment and vehicles, it has directed the Technical Branch to develop plans and projects on technical maintenance for tasks and situations requiring high manoeuvrability, particularly A and A2 tasks, and natural disaster prevention and control. It has also attached special importance to building and developing the professional competence of mobile repair teams and groups to ensure on-site and mobile technical support.

Due to the mission requirements, its units’ annual load of training, exercise, live-fire training, and manoeuvrability for combat readiness is very heavy and under the condition of complex terrain and harsh weather. Perceiving that, it has attached significance to ensuring safety for weapons and equipment during the process of task implementation as well as traffic safety, regarding this as a breakthrough in the implementation of the technical work. In addition to introduction and implementation of the Campaign 50 as well as accelerated application of information technology to management and registration of weapons and equipment at all levels, it has paid attention to building and completing regulations on operations of depots, stations, workshops and technical zones, while instructing cadres and troops of depots and stations to use personal protective equipment during the process of manufacturing, maintaining and repairing weapons and equipment. As regards traffic safety ensuring, it has directed the Traffic Safety Committee at all levels to regularly give advice to the party committees and commanders of offices and units on  the work of ensuring traffic safety, the management of technical specification of equipment and vehicles as well as the observance of traffic regulations. As a result, in recent times, it has guaranteed the absolute traffic safety in both men and vehicles.

In the face of a dearth of technical staff and high-calibre technicians, it has paid due regard to building the technical staff in both quantity and quality and considered this as a determinant to the fulfilment of technical tasks in the short run and the long run. To this end, it has diversified the method to train technical staff at all levels, while attaching significance to unit-based training under the motto “one is expert at one profession but knows others”, and encouraging them in self-study, self-improvement and experience exchange. It has directed the Technical Branch to build up training program and make it relevant to position and functions of each group of subjects and tasks of each unit; to focus on training to exploit and master modern equipment; to train, build and standardize good, young technical staff. As for the key cadres of the Technical Branch, it has focused on improving their command and staff capabilities by inviting instructors from the National Defence Academy and the Military Technical Academy to join training and exercises, particularly those of the Technical Branch, to enhance the capabilities to develop technical documents and plans and practise technical support in hi-tech operations. Furthermore, it has accelerated the movement to promote technical initiatives and innovations in order to raise the spirit of creativity of the technical staff so that they would create valuable products to apply to the process of exploiting and using weapons and equipment as well as to realities of the technical work. It has also speeded up the organization of competitions at all levels to create the lively atmosphere for the implementation of the technical work. In 2016, the Technical Branch’s 57 initiatives took part in the Corps’ technical innovation competition, and 38 of them won awards.

In addition, the Corps has always attached significance to the work of mobilizing technical reserve force. Annually, the Technical Branch and units in cooperation with localities proactively inspect and train the reserve force; while reviewing and inspecting the technical specification of vehicles and the capability to mobilize reserve materials and repair weapons and equipment, being ready to take part in technical support for the Corps’ training and exercises that mobilize the reserve force.

Bringing into play the recorded results, the Army Corps 2 will continue stepping up the adoption of measures for the improved quality of its technical work to contribute to enhancing its manoeuvrability and combat readiness capability as well as its tradition of “Lightning Speed - Daring - Determined to Win”, meeting the requirements of national protection in the new situation.

Snr. Col. Trinh Quang Dinh, Deputy Commander of the Army Corps 2