Logistic support and building of logistic capabilities and posture are important contents, which aim to meet requirements of military region defence right in peacetime and be ready to satisfy mission demands in wartime (should a war occur). Given the vast area with many rivers in the 9th Military Region, it is very difficult to secure sufficient logistic reserve. Fulfilment of this task is matter of significant importance, which deserves thorough research in both theoretical and practical terms.

Based on grasping Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, dated 22 September 2008, of the Politburo (10th tenure) on further building provinces and cities under the direct leadership of the central government into strong defence areas in the new situation; Decree No. 21/2019/ND-CP, dated 22 February 2019, of the Government on the defence area as well as directives and resolutions of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and Ministry of National Defence (MND) on the defence area and military region defence, in the past few years, the Department of Logistics has proactively advised the 9th Military Region Party Committee and Command on many measures to lead and direct development of defence area logistics and military region defence with vital outcomes. Therefore, the logistic capabilities and posture of the military region defence area are strengthened. The capacity to mobilise logistic human resource, materials, and vehicles at various levels and industries is enhanced. The logistic system is operated smoothly. The level of organising, commanding, and controlling the development and operation of the military region defence logistics is greatly improved, which meets the needs of the armed forces’ regular operation in peacetime, effectively responds to contingencies relating to political security, social order and safety, natural disasters; is ready to be shifted to wartime status.

Nevertheless, some party committees, authorities, departments, divisions, industries, and unions have failed to deeply perceive position and importance of defence area logistic support, military region defence in general. Consequently, building of logistic potential and posture for military region defence has yet to satisfy demands in some aspects. To deal with these shortcomings requires successful implementation of the following solutions.

First, increased socio-economic development and combination of economic development and strengthening of national defence and security are prerequisites for establishing strong logistic potential for military region defence. To achieve effectiveness, party committees at all levels need to deeply grasp the Party’s guideline on all-people national defence, people’s warfare, and all-people logistics, which helps to generate unification in terms of awareness, willpower, and actions to pursue socio-economic development in connection with consolidating national defence and security specified in resolutions of the Party Central Committee and Politburo as well as the Military Region’s Project on ensuring national defence in the Southwestern region in the 2015 – 2020 period, with a vision towards 2030 and the Project on planning of the maritime, island economic – defence zone in the Southwestern region by 2020 and beyond. The Military Region’s Department of Logistics and military logistic bodies of provinces and cities must appraise projects on the development of civilian industry relating to military logistics carefully; propose measures to enhance capabilities of industries to provide logistic support for military, defence missions; advise on building warehouses for storing food, medicine, and fuel as stipulated by the Law on National Reserve. Localities should exploit their potential and advantages effectively to make breakthroughs in combining socio-economic development and strengthening of national defence and security. In socio-economic planning, localities have to take economic effectiveness, guarantee of national defence and security, environmental preservation, and climate change into consideration to achieve sustainable development. At the same time, they are requested to work closely with the Military Region Party Committee and Command to assess situations and put forth measures to deal with situations in a timely, correct manner to firmly maintain political security and social order and safety as well as create favourable conditions for socio-economic development; proactively exploit on-site logistic resources and promote mobilisation of local economic potential in support of defence, security missions in peacetime and wartime.

As a result of limitations of the traffic system in the military region, connectivity between the Mekong River Delta and key economic zones remains weak. Thus, provinces and cities must take advantage of funds from the central government and their own budgets to upgrade roads and build new ones, which both meet the requirement of economic development and create favourable conditions for transportation of logistics in support of military region defence should a war occur. Importance must be attached to consolidation of waterways, harbours, and inland ports to facilitate economic development in peacetime and transportation of troops and logistics to islands and inland locations in wartime. Coastal provinces and cities need to invest in facilities to provide maritime economic logistic service, which contributes to building of strong logistic potential in maritime, island defence zone. The facilities can be expanded to devolve support to forces at sea participating in the struggle to preserve sovereignty over waters and islands, contributing to enhanced effectiveness of military region defence operations.

The logistic posture is established on the basis of arrangement of the military region logistic forces; provincial and municipal defence zone logistics; and economic facilities in each locality. The establishment of military region defence logistic posture must ensure robustness, interconnectedness, and flexibility. In fact, the building of logistic bases in some localities is only thoughts. These bases have not been built in the field. There remain many limitations with policies and mechanisms, thus affecting long-term planning and investment. To achieve robustness and interconnectedness, it is necessary to organise and arrange logistic bases properly to guarantee strong on-site forces in each region and defence direction as well as robust mobile forces at all levels. The placement of logistic forces and facilities must exploit advantageous terrain to ensure stability and maneuver routes suitable for mutual support among logistic forces and organisations. In each defence direction, it is imperative to have complete, synchronous support capacity in all aspects, which includes front support force and rear support force. The logistic forces of provinces and cities collaborate closely with those of the military region, armed forces, and people to form robust, complete logistic posture. Additionally, the logistic posture can be transformed flexibly in accordance with requirements of military region defence in any situations. To achieve the effectiveness, the Department of Logistics needs to correctly assess situations, missions, logistic position and strength, advantages, disadvantages, etc., to advise the military region to adjust, supplement, and improve the logistic posture. Based on practical capacity and outcomes of building the logistic posture of the provincial, municipal defence zones, the Military Region can establish additional logistic bases and warehouses to store reserve in each direction and region; is ready to shift the logistic posture when it carries out defence operations. Localities are to adjust plans to use land for building elements of the logistic posture in accordance with operational plans of the provincial, municipal defence zones and the Military Region’s defence plan. The placement and operation of logistic facilities need to be based on the nature and missions. It is vital to maintain regular operation of the people’s logistics in provinces, cities, districts, communes, wards, and towns, where the local military logistics plays the core role, ensuring its support readiness for combat forces. The economic – defence corps actively participate in economic development, which lays the foundation for building logistic bases and establishing interconnected, firm, flexible logistic posture of military region defence.

Military region defence operation is copious and diversified, which requires robust logistic support forces capable of meeting mission demands in both peacetime and wartime. Accordingly, the Military Region’s Department of Logistics must proactively calculate logistic support needs and advise the Military Region to instruct provincial, municipal military commands to work closely with departments, divisions, and sectors to formulate plans for placing and adjusting logistic forces, which helps to provide timely logistic support for many missions in many fields and on many areas. The arrangement of forces must guarantee support for key missions and operations in military region defence, especially the firm maintenance of key defence zones and protection of critical targets in the area. Furthermore, it is necessary to issue policies on requisitioning and mobilising forces and means of transport in the area to provide on-site, robust, logistic support for widespread defence operation. The Military Region’s logistic force brings into play its leading role and collaborates with localities to establish, manage, and train the reserve in the logistic field; conducts exercises to improve coordination of logistic support activities to meet mission requirement of military region defence in both peacetime and wartime.

Senior Colonel DANG VAN HIEU, Chief of Military Region Logistics