Upholding the 65-year tradition of construction, service, combat, and development (24 January 1959 - 24 January 2024), the Naval Logistics Branch continues to make efforts to overcome difficulties, build comprehensive strength, and advance towards modernity, meeting the requirements and tasks of safeguarding the Homeland’s sacred sovereignty over seas and islands.

Being deeply imbued with President Ho Chi Minh: “The task of supply is as important as the task of directly fighting the enemy on the front”, over the past 65 years, the Naval Logistics Branch has always upheld the spirit of self-reliance and resilience, closely following the activities of soldiers and the construction and combat practices of the Navy, proactively researching, and effectively performing the assigned functions and tasks, thus contributing to the glorious achievements of the heroic Navy.

During the resistance war against the American imperialists, the Naval Logistics Branch closely coordinated with ministries, localities, and units to both build forces and actively create resources, providing sufficient and timely logistical support for different forces within the Navy in fighting against the enemy’s sabotage war, protecting the North and supporting the Southern battlefields. Notably, the Branch excelled in ensuring the strategic marine supply line, creating the miracle of the Ho Chi Minh Sea Trail, and striving to overcome difficulties and challenges to seize opportunities for attack to liberate the islands in the Spratly Islands, hence contributing to the complete liberation of the South and the unification of the country.

As the country entered the period of construction and defence, the Naval Logistics Branch quickly adjusted and reorganised its structure, enhancing overall capacity and effectively providing logistical support in the maritime direction, particularly for the protection of the sovereignty over seas and islands and the development of the maritime economy.

Preparing supplies for Spratly Islands and DK1 platforms

In recent years, the Naval Logistics Branch, primarily the Logistics Department, has thoroughly implemented the resolutions and directives of the Party, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence. The Logistics Department has proactively researched, advised, and proposed to the General Department of Logistics, the Navy’s Party Committee, and High Command various policies and measures for building increasingly robust logistics potential and posture in the maritime direction and for promoting the innovation and quality of the logistics work, creating a comprehensive transformation in the assurance work. Simultaneously, it has promoted its pivotal role in directing, guiding, and effectively implementing logistics tasks, ensuring sufficient and timely support for regular and ad hoc combat readiness, training, exercises, patrols, search and rescue, thus meeting the requirements of modernisation of the Navy and protection of the sacred national sovereignty over seas and islands in the new situation. In recognition of these achievements, the Naval Logistics Department has been honourably awarded the Second-class and Third-class Fatherland Defence Order and other prestigious awards.

In the coming years, the task of protecting the maritime sovereignty and building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern Navy sets forth new and demanding requirements for the Naval Logistics Branch, especially in terms of organisational structure and staffing, aligning the Branch’s development with the modernisation roadmap of the Navy. There is a pronounced need for building robust logistics potential and posture in the maritime direction. Additionally, the Branch is tasked with ensuring comprehensive logistical support for various activities, including training and combat readiness to protect maritime sovereignty and maritime economic activities. To accomplish the assigned tasks, the Naval Logistics Branch is committed to vigorously and systematically implementing a set of major policies and measures as follows:

Firstly, enhancing the leadership and direction of the party committees and commanders at all levels concerning logistics work. Party committees and commanders of agencies and units, particularly party committees, commanders, and the staff of the Naval Logistics Branch should thoroughly grasp the resolutions and directives of the Party, the State, the Army, and the Navy. Importance is attached to the Resolution of the 8^th Central Committee (13^th tenure) on “Strategy for Homeland protection in the new situation, the Resolution of the 8^th Central Committee (12^th tenure) on “Strategy for the sustainable development of Vietnam’s marine economy until 2030, with a vision to 2045”, Resolution No. 1658-NQ/QUTW, issued on 20 December 2022, by the Central Military Commission concerning Military logistics work until 2030 and beyond, and Action Programme No. 1390-CTr/ĐU, issued on 3 April 2030, by the Navy’s Party Committee on implementing Resolution No. 1658-NQ/QUTW. Consequently, the awareness and sense of responsibility of personnel are enhanced, enabling them to fulfil the objectives of the logistics work, thus meeting the requirements and tasks of the Navy. The Naval Logistics Branch places great emphasis on leading the enhancement of its capability to research and propose to the commanders and leaders at all levels regarding logistics work in the maritime direction. It also focuses on advising on upgrading and modernising logistical equipment and means in line with the budget capacity and the modernisation roadmap of the Navy and on building a robust and comprehensive logistics potential and posture in coastal areas, at sea, and on islands. Functional agencies should focus on directing and guiding units to develop and effectively implement action plans and programmes associated with the implementation of the movement entitled “The Military Logistics follows Uncle Ho’s teachings”.

Secondly, focusing on developing an elite, compact, and strong cadre of officers and staff serving in the Naval Logistics Branch. Based on close adherence to the practice and its functions and tasks, the Party Committee and Commanders of the Naval Logistics Department attach importance to advising, directing, and guiding the effective merger and reorganisation of logistics forces that have reasonable structure and can fulfil all assigned tasks, aligned with the implementation of the Project entitled “Organisation of a modern Naval Logistics”. Additionally, the Department strives to excel in planning, training, fostering, and perfecting educational levels and titles according to specialisations for personnel while enhancing the level of management, command, and professional skills for the logistics staff. Besides, it timely resolves the imbalance of staff between agencies and grassroots units and the shortage of logistics staff in some specialisations. Simultaneously, the Department actively coordinates with localities to build and strictly manage reserve logistics forces and means that are ready to be mobilised in emergencies.  

Provisions of troops are regularly checked

Thirdly, stepping up the formulation and effective implementation of mechanisms and policies while perfecting methods of material logistics assurance for various tasks, especially the protection of maritime sovereignty. Capitalising on the achieved results, the Naval Logistics Branch continues to participate in researching, formulating, and perfecting mechanisms, policies, and legal normative documents on logistics work that are synchronous, unified, and aligned with the regulations and characteristics of the Navy. Importance is attached to researching and proposing adjustments and supplements to the system of orders, charters, documents, and regulations of the Logistics Branch. Besides, the Branch advises on the amendment of decrees and circulars that stipulate logistics standards, regimes, and the mobilisation of logistics resources. Furthermore, it perfects the methods of logistics assurance, actively exploits resources, and ensures sufficient logistics for regular and ad hoc combat readiness, training, exercises, and patrols, with priority given to forces on duty to protect maritime sovereignty and forces stationed in the Spratly Islands, DK1 platforms, stations, impoverished areas, and nearshore islands. In the immediate term, the Logistics Department concentrates on advising and accelerating investment in renovating and upgrading the clean water system, improving the capacity to supply water and fuel for quick departures of ships, directing the sufficient logistics reserve, and ensuring electricity for the Spratly Islands and DK1 platforms. Naval regions, regiments, and brigades intensify investment in developing agriculture and production, and processing, managing food hygiene and safety. Moreover, the Branch is prompt to ensure sufficient forces, means, and logistics facilities to coordinate with other forces in the active, timely, and effective response, prevention, and mitigation of typhoons, floods, search and rescue, and disaster relief.

Fourthly, focusing on planning, consolidating, and building strong logistics bases and sub-bases, meeting the requirements and tasks of logistics assurance in peacetime and wartime. The Logistics Branch continues to advise on the planning and construction of logistics bases and sub-bases, force clusters, and islands in the Spratly Islands in a flexible, continuous, and robust manner. Moreover, it directs the scheduled completion of projects, barracks, and public service houses under the mid-term investment plan approved by the Ministry of National Defence. Simultaneously, it enhances the review of barracks planning, proposing investment needs to complete the construction of barracks and public service houses in the Navy to stabilise and improve the life of soldiers, especially units stationed on islands and rigs and newly established units. The Branch also consolidates the system of warehouses and wharves while renovating and upgrading caves and tunnels sufficient for storing and reserving logistics materials. Additionally, the Branch actively researches and advises on the scale of construction of clinics and hospitals on the islands according to the approved project. The fuel supply and refilling system, as well as logistics equipment, are modernised while old transport vehicles are replaced with new ones or upgraded with a variety of carrying capacity and transport features. The Branch proposed the construction of new 1,000-ton oil tankers to enhance maritime logistics capabilities.

Finally, intensifying the application of information technology and digital transformation, improving the quality of training and scientific research, and building the Logistics Branch to meet the requirements of building a modern Navy. Closely following the Ministry of National Defence’s Project for digital transformation by 2025, with a vision to 2030, the Naval Logistics Branch will actively apply and transfer science and technology and carry out digital transformation by organising training to improve the level of digital skills, information security, and cybersecurity for officers and staff of agencies and units. Besides, it steps up innovation in the content and methods of logistics training, bringing target groups close to reality. The Branch places emphasis on synchronised and in-depth training, enhancing the mobility and distribution of materials for quick departures of ships as well as the mastery of new generation, modern equipment. The Branch strengthens the research and application of military science topics and information technology in management, command, and logistics operations. It also attaches importance to building clean and robust party committees and party organisations at all levels, thus building a comprehensive strong, “exemplary and typical” Naval Logistics Department.

Inheriting and promoting the tradition of “Staying united, being creative, and overcoming difficulties to complete all assigned tasks”, the Naval Logistics Branch continues to strive to excellently complete its assigned tasks, ensuring all logistics aspects are fully and timely provided for the Navy to effectively fulfil its pivotal role in robustly protecting the sacred national sovereignty over seas and islands.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN DUY THIEU, Head of the Naval Logistics Department