Weapons and technical equipment, especially the modern ones of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) in general, the Tank-Armoured Corps in particular are special assets of the country that should be preserved and maintained closely; at the same time, they are important means of training and combat readiness used to raise the synergy of the VPA and the Corps. Under the support, leadership, and direction from the Corps’ Party Committee Standing Board and the Corps’ leaders, and guiding documents by the General Technical Department (GTD) and higher-level technical agencies, the Tank-Armoured Corps’ Technical Department has adhered to its function and task and cooperated with offices and units in surmounting difficulties and synchronously taking measures to manage, exploit, and master modern weapons and technical equipment, thereby contributing to the Corps’ good task performance and building a “powerful raiding force” of the VPA.

Grasping higher echelons’ resolutions, directives, and guiding documents on the technical work, particularly the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 382/NQ-ĐUQSTW, the Resolution 421/NQ-ĐU by the Corps’ Party Committee on leadership over the technical work in the new situation, and the annual directives on the technical work by leaders of the GTD, the Corps’ Technical Department has given advice to the Corps’ Party Committee and Command on leading and directing technical support for modern weapons and technical equipment. It has concentrated on advising leaders of the Corps’ Command on action programmes and plans for the technical work relevant to the Corps’ particularities and task. It is worth noting that several cadres and technical employees’ hands-on experience in new technical equipment is limited and there is a lack of technical cadres within detachment-level units. Therefore, the Technical Department has counselled the Corps’ Party Committee to adopt breakthrough measures for building the technical standard order, raising the quality of cadres and technical employees, and organising refresher courses to improve cadres, technical employees, and vehicle crews’ knowledge and skills. Up to now, all cadres and technical employees of the Corps have effectively exploited the existing weapons and equipment and gradually mastered modern ones.

To sufficiently, qualitatively provide weapons and technical equipment for the Corps’ missions, the Technical Department has undertaken researches on innovating several existing weapons and pieces of technical equipment into the new ones with their technical and tactical improvements. Over the years, to acquire weapons and technical equipment properly, the Technical Department has closely collaborated with competent offices in designing the configuration of weapons and their attached equipment for acquisition in accordance with Vietnam’s terrains, weather conditions, and military art, while giving advice to the Corps and the Ministry of National Defence on ordering from manufacturers, transferring technologies, transporting, testing, and exploiting weapons and technical equipment. At the same time, the Corps’ Technical Branch has actively advised the Corps on directing grass-roots level party organisations and commands of offices and units to synchronously adopt measures to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the Campaign entitled “managing and using weapons and technical equipment sustainably, effectively, safely, economically and ensuring traffic safety,” and organise technical contests and refresher courses as the basis for raising the quality of technical support for the Corps’ modern weapons and technical equipment.

A training course on using the T-90S tank

In addition, the Technical Department has focused on directing and helping offices, units, and technical facilities of the Corps to comprehensively perform the technical work to ensure that all weapons and technical equipment would always meet the task requirements. On a yearly basis, the Technical Department has closely worked with relevant forces to proactively develop plans on opportunely, sufficiently, qualitatively, synchronously supplying weapons and technical equipment for each unit’ specific task, with priority given to ensuring state-of-the-art materiel for the important tasks of combat readiness, exercise, and contest and the International Army Games. With reference to technical support for equipment, the Technical Department has directed units to stringently maintain regulations on technical support for modern materiel. Great value has been attached to raising the quality of materiel maintenance, repair, and preservation, well organising the Technical Day, and strictly inspecting the technical condition of weapons and equipment prior to, during, and after deployment. There is a fact that most of the Corps’ technical facilities have been constructed for ages and a number of them have deteriorated, thus being unable to provide technical support for modern weapons and equipment. Against that backdrop, the Technical Department has advised the Corps’ Command on formulating a plan for reconstruction, with a vision towards 2030, while directly directing the consolidation of depots, stations, workshops, technical zones, and garages. Greater importance has been attached to investing high technologies in workshops. At the same time, the Technical Department has frequently inspected safety assurance, labour hygiene, fire and explosion prevention and control, and especially safety regulations during reception, transport, and storage. Moreover, it has regularly cooperated with the Military Centre for Safety Technical Inspection in testing equipment with strict requirements of safety at the Corps’ affiliates.

To master modern weapons and equipment, the Corps has enhanced technical training as a determinant to the quality and effectiveness of the technical work within units. Over the years, the Technical Department has closely cooperated with competent offices in selecting and deploying qualified cadres to receive modern weapons, equipment, and technologies at manufacturers so that they would play a core role in organising refresher courses for others. On an annual basis, the Corps has directed its offices and units to strictly implement training plans and programmes under the training directive by the Corp’s Commander and the guidance on technical training by the GTD. In this regard, emphasis has been placed on raising the quality of technical training and troops’ skills in managing and mastering modern weapons and technical equipment. Significance has been attached to organising technical training courses, designing, translating, and editing documents to improve troops’ capability in commanding, managing, and exploiting new weapons and technical equipment. Due attention has been paid to reviewing and grasping the quantity and quality of cadres and technical employees to develop plans for training and use.

Moreover, consideration has been given to well maintaining scientific research, enhancing the work of military scientific - technical information, and building Tank-Armoured database. Offices, units, and schools across the Corps have stepped up the movement of technical initiative and innovation with many highly feasible scientific researches and initiatives. Since 2015, within the entire Corps, more than 200 technical initiatives and researches have been applied and produced good results. In the first half of 2021 alone, the Corps has designed 5 new documents, while translating and editing 50 documents on T-90S/SK tanks. Great value has been attached to taking effective measures to closely manage weapons, equipment, and technical human resources. In recent years, the Technical Department has directed offices and units to both examine records and carry out inspections in reality. Up to now, the system of plans and documents on technical support for units’ missions has been supplemented and completed. The quantity and quality of new weapons and technical equipment have been closely managed from the Corps’ Command to grass-roots level without any loss or deterioration.

In order to raise the quality of technical support for modern weapons and technical equipment, the Corps has enhanced the work of propagation and education to render cadres and soldiers, especially party committee members, commanders, cadres, and technical employees fully aware of the importance of technical support to weapons and technical equipment in general, the new ones in particular. Besides, the Corps has stepped up the Campaign titled “managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment sustainably, effectively, safely, economically and ensuring traffic safety,” the Determination to Win Emulation Movement, and the Campaign entitled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period. Also, it has strictly maintained conferences to comprehensively draw lessons on the technical work under the Tank-Armoured Technical Support Regulations, opportunely detect and overcome weaknesses, while considering the quality of technical support as an important yardstick for evaluating the task performance of offices, units, and cadres.

Things mentioned above represent initial lessons on improving the quality of technical support for the Tank-Armoured Corps’ modern weapons and technical equipment. With a sense of political responsibility, in the upcoming time, the Tank-Armoured Technical Branch, particularly the Corps’ Technical Department will continue promoting those good results, applying measures of technical support for new weapons and technical equipment in a drastic, synchronous, creative manner, and further improving the quality of this important task to more effectively exploit the Corps’ state-of-the-art materiel in the new situation.

Sr. Col. DO VAN DIEP, Head of the Corps’ Technical Department