Developing military signal human resources represents the process of making a fundamental, comprehensive change in the signal staff’s quantity, quality and structure. This is a matter of utmost importance to building modern, elite signal corps.

Signal personnel include all officers, professional servicemen, defence employees, non-commissioned officers and soldiers working in signal offices, units, schools and factories from the active forces, local forces and militia and self-defence forces, assigned to ensure communications for leaders, commanders and operations of offices and units. This is an important part of the national military human resources playing a decisive role in maintaining “timely, accurate, secret, safe” communications in all situations, contributing to the cause of national construction and protection.

Maj. Gen. Ngo Kim Dong addressing the seminar on developing the Military Region 9’s signal staff in the new situation (photo: Le Dinh Dung)

As the force to be moved forward to modernity, over the past years, investment has been made in the military signal personnel while a positive change in its quantity, structure and quality has been produced. Signal cadres, employees and soldiers have political will, strong determination and capability to surmount difficulties in performing their task. However, the process of building, using and developing the military signal personnel has exposed several limitations in the organizational structure and the building and planning of key cadres and experts as well as the management and use of human resources.

Today, the task of national safeguarding and Military building has new developments with intertwined opportunities and challenges. The 4^th Industrial Revolution is profoundly, comprehensively impacting on and bringing about far-reaching changes in various fields, including military signals. Thus, it is necessary to develop the military signal staff quantitatively, qualitatively and structurally, meeting the requirements set by the modernization of the military signal system, and the military arts and hi-tech warfare via synchronous measures as follows.

First, enhancing leadership and direction over the work of developing the military signal personnel. Party committees and commanders of signal units must thoroughly grasp the Party and Central Military Commission’s new thought on renewing and perfecting the military signal system towards modernity. Besides, attention should be paid to building pure, strong party committees; ceaselessly enhancing their leadership capability and combativeness; raising awareness of the importance of building human resources equal to the mission and development of weapons and equipment. Party committees and commanders should grasp the situation, advantages and difficulties of their unit’s development of military signal personnel in order to formulate measures for leadership and action plans and conduct the work of inspection and supervision closely. During the course of implementation, there should be specific action programs relevant to each level, party organization, command and mission, with a focus on key issues and “obstructive” points in developing military signal staff in each period, under the guidelines to make complete, rapid changes in political ideology, motive, attitude, action, manpower and organization. At the same time, importance should be attached to tapping all resources of organizations and forces and promoting the exemplary role of key cadres in implementing measures to develop the military signal personnel.

Second, successfully conducting the work of military signal personnel planning and recruitment. Playing the core role, the Signal Corps should actively give advice to the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, while closely cooperating with other corps, services and units in directing all-level party committees and commanders to successfully conduct the work of signal personnel planning and organization in a “compact, effective” manner in accordance with the art of operations and modern signal equipment. The planning work must been carried out in a close, procedural way and ensure the inheritance, continuation and stability. The master plan must focus on building a contingent of signal personnel both quantitatively and structurally; opportunely adjusting, supplementing and successfully implementing the planning of all-level commanders at various ages, from diverse sources to ensure the inheritance and steady development. The work of personnel planning and training must be associated with demands for personnel use and development, and prioritize the specialties which lack hi-quality personnel. At the same time, it is necessary to standardize the process of preparing the personnel relevant to each speciality and force, meeting the common and specialist requirements. The Corps should continue to advise the Ministry of National Defence on recruiting non-military graduates to supplement hi-calibre human resources and reduce training costs, particularly in border, sea and island areas.

Third, improving the quality of training military signal personnel. To do so, it is necessary to grasp the guidelines on comprehensive training and development, with a focus on political stuff, military knowledge, information technology, foreign languages and professional competence.  The Corps should establish and complete the model and goal for training signal cadres in the new situation, while improving the training quality of schools, especially the Signal Officer College and the Signal Technical School. It needs to actively renew the training program to meet the mission requirements and the direction for developing the military signal system, and attach great importance to training a contingent of experts, hi-quality teachers, and cadres in charge of research, production and sample manufacture. Also, it must formulate and well implement the Project to training Staff and Command Officers according to signal specialities, namely Ground Force, Navy, Air Defence – Air Force and the Project on technical signal manpower training and cyber operations, while proactively promoting cooperation  on education with partners both at home and abroad. Offices and units should regularly conduct the work of improving knowledge about new technologies at their level and via their operations of training and combat readiness. The movement of self-study and self-improvement must be promoted while improving knowledge and professional competence should be associated with self-improvement in morality, living and soft skills in line with the development of the society. For the sake of effectiveness, cadres must set examples in self-study and self-improvement in virtues, morality, living and working style as well as capability to perform the assigned task. At the same time, it is important to foster scientific research, technical innovation and military telecommunication technology to create favourable conditions for cadres, employees and soldiers to study.

Fourth, managing and effectively using the military signal personnel. Units should well manage their personnel at their level; review and arrange technical staff according to their military speciality; retrain the abundant technicians; and associate the work of training cadres with that of using and managing cadres. Moreover, it is vital to step up the work of personnel rotation among offices, units and schools for the sake of field experience at all levels. In assessing and classifying staff members, it is important to ensure objectivity, continuation and accuracy, with significance attached to attitude, working method, manners and task performance; to associate the work of cadre evaluation with the deployment, appointment and use of cadres in a correct, procedural fashion; to fight against the signs of subjectivity and avoid using cadres without evaluation of their speciality and capability. Arrangement and use of cadres must be in conformity with regulations set by the Party and Ministry of National Defence on military signal cadres, the organizational structure of each unit in both long and short terms, and the requirements of modernizing the military signal force.

Fifth, successfully implementing policies and entitlements for the military signal personnel. To this end, the Corps should actively advise the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on adjusting the organizational structure of signal staff in the Military compactly and flexibly, making it relevant to the area and the theatre of operations, meeting the mission requirements. Policies and measures to attract talents, such as the appointment of talented, prestige young cadres to key positions, should be encouraged. Priority should be given to ensuring policies and entitlements for hi-calibre personnel, experts, and cadres working in the areas with difficult socio-economic conditions to make them keep their mind on their work. Besides, party committees and commanders at all levels should attach importance to the emulation movement to encourage research, technical initiatives and innovation, and mastery of modern technologies, and to the work of rewarding and honouring typical outstanding individuals. At the same time, due regard should be paid to creating favourable conditions for the staff’ study, self-improvement and striving, and to promoting the role of components of the military signal personnel. Especially, consideration should be given to building cultural life, promoting democracy and unity within the units; to opportunely ensuring facilities and equipment; to improving cadres and troops’ mental and spiritual life.

Things mentioned above are the measures the Signal Corps’ Party Committee and High Command is implementing to develop its personnel and meet the mission requirements in the new situation.

Maj. Gen. Ngo Kim Dong, Commissar of the Signal Corps