Nowadays, science and technology has become the main key driver for the development of sectors and each country. Thus, the whole Military with the Military Science Branch playing the core role should step up the work of military science, technology, and environment to meet the requirements for building a revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern Army with several services, corps, and forces moving forward to modernity.

Over the past years, with the investment made by the Party and State, especially the Central Military Commission (CMC) and Ministry of National Defence (MND), the work of military science, technology, and environment has witnessed the comprehensive development and contributed to raising the Military’s combat strength, consolidating national defence, and safeguarding the Homeland. The system of legal normative documents on this work has been built and issued rather synchronously in line with the Party’s guidelines and the particularities of the military-defence task. All-level offices of scientific, technological, and environmental management and study within the whole Military have been frequently consolidated and operated in an orderly, effective manner. Due regard has been paid to building and developing the potential of military science and technology. The work of military science and art study has greatly contributed to developing the military art theories and methods of operations and providing the firm military arguments for the Party, State, CMC and MND to formulate the military-defence guidelines, policies, and laws, particularly Vietnam’s National Defence Strategy, Vietnam’s Military Strategy in the new period, the National Border Protection Strategy, and the Strategy for Homeland Defence in Cyberspace. The work of social science and humanities has contributed to encouraging the entire people and political system’s synergy in the Homeland construction and defence and enhancing the Party’s absolute, direct leadership over the Military in the new situation. Military technology, logistics, medicine and pharmacy have had new developments. The whole Military has executed and completed many national key programs/projects. As a result, the entire Military has managed to design and manufacture a number of advanced weapon and technical equipment systems and hi-tech materials, thereby contributing to raising the Defence Industry’s capability and proactiveness. The Military has also succeeded in developing and applying modern medical skills to taking care of troops’ health. In addition, the work of protecting the environment, responding to climate change, and overcoming post-war consequences has been promoted and obtained the encouraging results. The Military has well fulfilled its core role in investigating and settling post-war toxic chemicals and unexploded ordnance, thereby making significant contributions to boosting the socio-economic development and stabilizing the people’s life.

Maj. Gen. Ngo Van Giao giving the Defence Minister’s Certificates of Merit to the units with outstanding achievements in the military science work in 2018

However, the awareness of a section of cadres and soldiers towards the work of military science, technology and environment has yet to sufficient. There is a dearth of a contingent of cadres in charge of research, and their capability has yet to meet the task requirements. Top cadres and experts are scarce, particularly in key sectors and fields. The facilities for research, manufacture, and trial have yet to be synchronous while the closeness and disconnectedness in research and application have yet to be completely handled.

Today, the requirements for building the Military, consolidating national defence, and protecting the Homeland in the new situation, particularly making the Military “compact and strong” as well as the challenges of the 4^th industrial revolution necessitate the work of military science, technology, and environment staying one step ahead. Thus, offices and units within the whole Military with the Military Science Branch playing the core role should focus on the main points as follows.

First, strengthening the all-level party committees and commands’ direction and leadership over the military science, technology, and environment operations. This is a matter of principle and a central measure to encourage and make the military science, technology, and environment operations effective. To do so, offices and units within the Military should continue grasping higher echelons’ resolutions and directives on the work of science, technology and environment, particularly the Resolution of the 11^th Party Central Committee’s 6^th Plenum on developing science and technology, the CMC’s Conclusion on “continuing to lead the work of military science, technology, and environment towards 2020 and beyond”, the MND’s Plan to execute the Prime Minister’s Directive 16/CT-TTg, dated May 4^th 2017 on enhancing the capability to access the 4^th industrial revolution. Grounded on those documents, great value should be attached to directing, managing, inspecting and supervising the all-level party committees, commands, and offices in charge of this important work. From the lessons over the past 5 years of implementing the CMC’s Resolution 791-NQ/QUTW, units should step up the work of propagation and education to render cadres and soldiers full aware of the task’s position, role, targets, and requirements and raise their responsibility for performing the task. At the same time, they should review programs/plans, particularly the action plans for the Resolution 791 to adjust and supplement the targets and measures opportunely, feasibly in accordance with the new situation. Under their function and task, offices and units should further renew the mechanisms for management and operation as well as the methods of organizing science and technology operations properly. Importance should be attached to following the motto of “practicality, feasibility, quality, timeliness, and effectiveness”, executing the mechanism for ordering researches, using the budget properly, imposing the self-autonomy regime on the science and technology organizations, and enhancing the capability in proposing and implementing the science tasks. Offices of military science, particularly the Department of Military Science should stay close to reality and continue well performing their role in giving advice to the CMC and MND and directing units to conduct the work of military science, technology and environment to meet the task requirements in both long and short terms.

Second, carrying out synchronously, comprehensively the work of military science to meet the requirements set by reality. Over the past years, the work of military science, technology, and environment has always stayed close to the task of Military build-up and Homeland defence and gained positive results. Promoting those results, the whole Military should synchronously, comprehensively perform and combine this work with other tasks, with emphasis placed on raising the quality of researches into the Military’s tasks.

In the field of military art science, it is necessary to continue undertaking researches to provide scientific arguments for the Party and State to translate military-defence guidelines into reality. Focuses should be placed on executing the national projects on the measures to realize the newly-issued strategies and on developing Vietnam’s military art theories in line with training and combat readiness operations and the building of the armed forces, all-people national defence, and all-people national defence posture in the new situation.

In the field of military social science and humanities, it is important to complete the mechanism for the Party’s leadership over the military-defence task, study the hostile forces’ new plots and acts of sabotage in the political, ideological and organizational terms, and propose the measures to improve troops’ political zeal and combat determination and preserve the virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers in the country’s industrialization and modernization and international integration. At the same time, due regard should be paid to studying the measures to improve the quality of training and education and carry out the party and political work within the Military as well as undertaking researches into the defence relations in the context of Vietnam’s deep and wide international integration to protect the Homeland from afar.

In the field of military technology, it is essential to review, adjust, and perform the tasks under the national and MND-level key programs/projects with a view to developing breakthrough technology products at the national level; to closely combine researches with defence production; to apply more researches to reality. Consideration should be given to taking advantage of the achievements in the 4^th industrial revolution to gradually master the technology for designing, renovating, and modernizing materiel; providing technical support for materiel, particularly hi-tech one; encouraging Military-run enterprises to taking part in scientific researches and materiel manufacture.

The military logistics science should focus on developing logistics equipment synchronously in line with means and equipment of operations, with priority given to the forces in charge of special missions; on renewing the technology for production, processing, and preservation to improve the quality of essential logistics supplies for troops during durable field trips and operations, particularly on the islands far from the coast.

In the field of military medicine and pharmacy, significance should be attached to accessing, studying, applying, and mastering technological advances in taking care of health of troops and all people, particularly the forces stationed in the isolated, remote, sea, island border area. Besides, the whole Military should continue taking the measures to implement the MND’s Strategy for Environment Protection towards 2020, with orientation towards 2030 as well as the projects for settling post-war toxic chemicals and unexploded ordnance.

Third, making more investments in developing the potential of military science, technology, and environment. First of all, it is necessary to consolidate the organizational structure of offices of military science, technology, and environment in line with the Project on adjusting the Vietnam People’s Army’s structure towards 2021 at each level. Offices and units should well perform the work of training, attracting, and using military science personnel; develop the hi-calibre military science personnel, particularly build a contingent of young science, technical cadres and top experts in the new fields. At the same time, they should actively mobilize investments in upgrading facilities, equipment and technologies for the work of scientific study in a modern, synchronous manner. Due to the limited budget, it is necessary to prioritize investments in the Military’s key research centres and technology establishments and take a short cut to access new technologies. Offices and units should closely manage and effectively use their facilities and equipment for research and trial; further mobilize the resources from the outside under the State’s law and the MND’s regulations; continue developing the models of cooperation in research and application with organizations and enterprises inside and outside the Military. Offices of military science at all levels should advise the MND on directing and facilitating international cooperation, particularly with strategic, traditional partners and developed countries; attach significance to promoting the model of cooperation with other countries in training, research, and transfer of modern technologies. Besides, it is important to continue reviewing and adjusting the mechanisms to improve the effectiveness of Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre and promote the role of Vietnamese Sub-Committees within the Committees for Military Technology Cooperation between Vietnam and Russia, Belarus, South Korea, etc.

The task of military science, technology, and environment in the upcoming time will be very onerous. The entire Military with the Military Science Branch playing the core role should continue promoting knowledge and a sense of unity to successfully fulfil the assigned mission.

Maj. Gen., Associate Prof. Ngo Van Giao, PhD

Head of the Department of Military Science