The Strategic logistical reserve is the logistical reserve in peacetime, who are disposed in logistic support units at the strategic level with a view to being ready for force expansion according to the wartime format. Consequently, the building of this force with sufficient quantity, high quality, and capability to meet requirements of developing the armed forces and protecting the Fatherland is a vital matter that can only be pursued by synchronous and feasible solutions.   

Building of the strategic logistical reserve, which is a crucial element of building the reserve of the entire military, is carried out right from peacetime through various measures rainging from identifying the needs, organisational structure, and arrangement to management, training, exercise, and readiness test of military personnel, reserve vehicles and equipment, and strategic-level logistical reserve units. To contribute to building of a strong strategic logistical reserve capable of meeting requirements and missions in defence states, in recent years, the General Department of Logistics (GDL) has worked closely with relevant units and localities to establish and improve this force both in quantity and quality, contributing to building of a “revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern” military logistics ready to be expanded to provide logistic support in any situations. In the process of performing this important task, however, due regard has not been paid sometimes and somewhere. Generation of human resources, arrangement, management, training, and excercise in some units and localities have witnessed certain limitations, thus impacting quality and the rate of military professionalism. To create a robust strategic logistical reserve capable of fulfilling both short- and long-term missions, the following key solutions should be implemented.

First, there needs to step up recruitment and organisation of the strategic logistical reserve in the direction of proximity, localisation, and matching of military professionalism. This is the most important solution to enhance quality of the strategic logistical reserve. The strategic logistical reserve is a technical force, which includes many different skills. Some of these skills are highly specific. Only when the people are disposed correctly can they perform their task well in case of mibilisation. Meanwhile, the people that are disposed in strategic logistical units are very diversified, comprising of demobilised officers and soldiers, university graduates, doctors and nurses from medical centres and local hospitals, drivers, vehicles of factories and enterprises, and so on. These people are working in different environments. In the face of this reality, units and localities concerned need to identify and adopt synchronous, scientific, suitable measures aimed at creating a strategic logistical reserve with sufficient quantity, good quality, and capability to timely respond to situations. One of the requirements is to dispose the reserve living close to each other in a unit, combine matching of military professionalism with proximity to mobilised areas. The priority is given to correct military professionalism. Regarding vehicles arranged for reserve units, they must have technical charateristic and criteria suitable to requirements of each unit. If the vehicles do not meet requirements, the ones with similar features should be selected. To ensure timely mobilisation and sufficient quantity, the GDL needs to define that the reserve and vehicles disposed in strategic logistical reserve units must have proper rates of standbys.

Second, increased collaboration in management of the strategic logistical reserve. Basically, it is the responsibility of localities to manage the strategic logistical reserve, and the strategic-level logistical units are to coordinate implementation and penetrate the localities to have a thorough grasp of situation in every aspect. In fact, the strategic logistical reserve is usually scattered in various socio-economic sectors. There are constant changes in health condition and age of the reserve. The strategic logistical reserve is quantitatively large, diversified in terms of speciality, widely dispersed throughout the country, highly volatile, thus causing certain difficulties in management. As for vehicles, due to their characteristics, the vehicles operates in all regions of the country. The transfer of ownership and drivers occurs regularly, and the vehicles are naturally degraded or by accidents, making this resource highly volatile. The strategic logistical units, therefore, must continuously have a good understanding of their strategic logistical reserve quantatively and qualitatively. To do so requires the strategic logistical units to collaborate closely with localities and departments and units concerned; establish a suitable management system to clearly specify responsibility of localities and units; successfully carry out party work and political work; and maintain meeting regulation in reserve units and among reserve officers. Additionally, the GDL should reach unanimity of and improve the records soon; apply scientific, technological achievements to management.

Third, conduct of practical, synchronous training to suit each subject and promote the competence of the strategic logistical reserve in every aspect. Like the reserve in other specialities, the logistical reserve live and work in localities. Consequently, their professional knowledge might be lost. Meanwhile, in the war to safeguard the Fatherland (should it occur), weapon systems and equipment will become increasingly modern. There are high demands on logistical support. The training of this force, therefore, must ensure practicality and synchronocity both technically and tactically according to their specialities in strategic-level logistical units. In addition, due to limited human resources, the strategic logistical reserve must use both tier 1 and tier 2 noncommissioned officers, resulting in inhomogeneity in terms of trainees. The logistical reserve work in many specialities, thus requiring different training. Meanwhile, the budget allocated for training is minimal. There is only a limited number of the reserve being trained every year. Therefore, it is important to select suitable training contents and methodologies with focuses. The training should concentrate on providing each reserve with professional knowledge and skills in accordance with their positions; supplementing deprived military knowledge; raising military personnel’s political awareness, especially the responsibility for mobilisation work. The training is to be carried out according to specialities with a focus on practical skills and in combination with units’ exercises. In the process of conducting exercises, there needs to strictly follow sequence of events. Scenarios should be close to combat support for strategic operations. Every year, the GDL works closely with relevant localities to develop exercise plans for the entire unit and locality in mobilisation, delivery and reception of the reserve in order to create connectivity and continuity between unit’s combat readiness states and locality’s national defence states in emerging situations. All work must be done concurrently between the unit and locality, ensuring closeness to combat scenarios.

Building of the reserve in general, the strategic logistical reserve in particular, to meet new requirements must be carried out regularly, continually, and synchronously in all stages, aspects, and elements. This is a vital issue, which needs to be acknowledged, invested, and properly implemented, in order to build a powerful, highly-qualified force, contributing to building of the military and firm protection of the Fatherland in any situations.

Senior Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor VU QUOC HUY, Military Academy of Logistics