The achievements of the 4^th Industrial Revolution have brought about not only opportunities but also negative impacts to the tasks of Army construction and national defence. Therefore, thoroughly grasping the nature of those impacts is an important basis for implementing policies and measures to limit the negative impacts and promote positive ones, thus taking advantage of the achievements in the cause of national construction and defence in the new situation.

As far as we are concerned, the 4^th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is evolving at a surprisingly fast pace, driven by exponential improvements in computing power, storage capacity, and global connectivity. These advances usher in the “digital era”, in which, data is the most valuable element, overcoming disruptions in all areas of social life, including the national defence and military sector. In fact, the new achievements of the 4IR with breakthroughs in the fields of digital, material technology, and biology, etc. have had a strong impact on thinking, military and national defence strategy and specific combat operations through the application of foundational technology, creating breakthrough products to improve combat effectiveness.

This is the premise and motivation to renew thinking and determine measures to improve the combat strength of the Army, thus meeting the requirements of national defence in modern war conditions. Therefore, researching and interpreting the impacts of the 4^th IR on combat strength and national defence of the Army is an urgent, important, and long-term task.  

First, the 4IR affects the organisation and staffing of the Army. The breakthroughs of this revolution created an institutional innovation, aiming at better operational efficiency between humans, weapons, equipment, and combat means; combining the traditional art of command with the trend of intelligentising and automating command and control activities. That has placed high requirements on the adjustment and consolidation of the organisation, staffing, and streamlining the apparatus of the Army. Thoroughly grasping and concretising the Resolution of the 6^th Central Committee (12^th tenure), the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, and notably Resolution 05-NQ/TW issued on 17^th January 2022 by the Politburo and Resolution 230-NQ/QUTW issued on 2^nd April 2022 by the Central Military Commission on the organisation of the Vietnam People’s Army in the 2021 - 2030 term and beyond, the Army has stepped up the review, consolidation, and reorganisation of its apparatus in the direction of elite, compact, strong, effective, efficient in order to fight victoriously in all situations. Adjusting forces and building the Army in the direction of “elite, compact, strong, modern” is a necessary matter, and importance is attached to the close combination between merger, dissolution, and streamlining with the establishment of several special units and forces, meeting the requirements and tasks of national defence in the modern war conditions, such as information, technical reconnaissance, electronic warfare, cyberspace, etc. Due to the fact that science and technology in general, and military technology in particular develop and the weapons and equipment are increasingly modernised with better efficiency, it is necessary to reduce the quantity and improve the quality of people, with a focus on improving the ability to exploit and master current military technology. In short, adjusting the organisation, staffing, and streamlining the Army apparatus is an objective necessity, which displays the Party’s acumen thinking and strategic vision in the cause of national defence.

Second, the 4IR affects the human factor in performing military and national defence tasks. The outstanding development of new generations of weapons, equipment, and means directly affects the human psyche in performing tasks, giving rise to the idea of absolutising weapons and technical equipment and undermining the political-spiritual factor, thus ignoring the importance of building a politically strong Army, which can deflect the Army in the process of modernisation. Therefore, to build an elite, compact, and strong Army, we need to fully and deeply grasp and well deal with the relationship between human and weapons and equipment, with no factor absolutised or undermined. No matter how advanced and modern weapons and equipment are, they are still monitored by humans. On the other hand, humans without weapons and equipment can not make up for the combat strength of the Army. At the same time, firmly adhering to the policy of building a “revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually towards modernity”, in which several services and branches will be prioritised to advance straight to modernity, taking strong political construction as the basis to improve the overall quality and combat strength, ensuring that the Army is always a political force, which is absolutely loyal, reliable and a tool of violence to protect the Fatherland, the Party, the State, the people, and the socialist regime.

Third, the 4IR has a strong impact on the element of weapons and equipment. The achievements of the 4IR serve as the premise to create new generations of automated, intelligent, and highly combinable weapons and equipment, which is an important factor in enhancing the combat strength of the Army. Outstanding achievements in the field of military science, especially robotic technology, artificial intelligence, material technology, etc. are integrated on modern military equipment, namely: unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), submerged unmanned vehicles (SUVs) in performing reconnaissance and combat missions; the C4IRS automation system in performing airspace, sea, and national border protection task; intelligent weapon control devices used in the Air Defence – Air Force, the Navy, Electronic Warfare, etc. Artificial intelligence is a trend to promote the efficiency to create new generations of weapons and military weapons that are smarter, more supportive, and more accurate in modern warfare. To continue to take advantage of and promote those achievements, we need to have a strategy and roadmap to access new technologies, step up international cooperation, and closely combine procurement and transfer of weapons and equipment with investment, research, manufacture, and mastery of modern weapons and technical equipment in line with our Army’s conditions. Besides, building human resources with high quality in military science and technology, which is on par with the development of new weapons, equipment, and combat arts.

Fourth, the 4IR affects the methods of command and control of combat. The new products of the 4IR provide practical support for the activities of commanders and agencies, comprehensively and profoundly changing the method of command and administration in the following phases: combat readiness mode, preparation and operation of combat. In intelligence and reconnaissance activities, the appearance of unmanned aerial vehicles, submerged unmanned vehicles, remote sensing observation devices, satellites, etc. makes the gathering of information and war situation quicker and more accurate, which serves as an important basis for commanders and agencies to study, access the situation, and determine the measures to handle situations during operation. New technological elements of artificial intelligence, databases, etc. create an up-to-date combat database system, which provides information about combat situation regardless of time and combat environments (air, ground, sea, space, and cyberspace), namely: the battlefield, terrain, weather, climate, hydrology, economic, political and cultural conditions. Moreover, the enemy’s information, such as its organisation, numbers, means, plots, and tactics of combat is also provided. On the other hand, our information, such as the use of forces and means, synergy, and high-tech weapons, etc. is also updated. The technology of connecting military cyberspace allows the establishment of a command automation system from the detachment level to the campaign and strategic level, creating an updated flat space that provides operational information and delivers orders and instructions in quick and accurate manner, ensuring the element of opportunity in combat.

These above-mentioned impacts require that the commanders and advisory agencies at all levels renew thinking, content, and methods of conduct; combine the implementation of orders and regulations on combat advisory work with the promotion of features of modern weapons and means. Additionally, it is necessary to actively acquire knowledge and gain experience to adapt and effectively operate the new command system, effectively combine the human with machine factors in order to improve the quality of command and control of combat.

Fifth, the 4IR affects training and education. The new achievements, such as virtual reality simulation technology, augmented reality, 3D printing, etc. have helped train learners in a completely different way in a virtual environment, a harsh real-world environment with enhanced combat space, weapons, equipment, components, and forces. Besides, learners can practice handling complex virtual situations in terms of space, time, and danger and sensitivity levels. The strong support in military training has helped learners have the opportunity to train and practice in different combat conditions and situations, acquire skills, and experience, thus being ready to deal with complex situations that may occur. To make good use of these achievements, it is necessary to have a clear and specific strategy, roadmap, goals, and directions in building smart models of colleges and universities to approach the 4IR, meeting the requirements of training high-quality human resources; improve the effectiveness of digital transformation in training and education; promote scientific research activities and international cooperation.

The impacts of the 4IR on the field of military and national defence are mentioned to help the readers understand and be well aware of those impacts. On that basis, measures to limit negative impacts and take advantage of positive ones can be taken, contributing to improving the combat strength of the Army and the national military potential, consolidating national defence and firmly defend the Fatherland under any circumstances.

Colonel, Associate Professor, Dr. NGUYEN LONG, National Defence Academy