During 75 years of construction, combat service and combat (March 25^th, 1946 - March 25^th, 2021), the Ordnance Branch (hereafter the Branch) has always been imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings and considered them as a motivation to overcome all difficulties and fulfill all the assigned tasks, thereby greatly contributing to the cause of national liberation, military build-up, and Homeland protection.

President Ho Chi Minh ever said that “supplying is as important as directly fighting the enemy on the front”, and that “to fight the enemy, troops must have enough food to eat and clothes to wear first”. Being deeply imbued with Uncle Ho's teachings, generations of the Branch’s cadres and soldiers have always upheld the spirit of self-reliance and self-resilience, stayed close to the troops' operations, and constantly improved their task performance so as to fully, opportunely meet the ordnance need of forces and make contributions to enhancing the Military's combat power and providing a solid foundation for the entire Military to successfully complete all assigned missions.

In recent years, the complicated developments of climate change, environmental pollution, natural disasters, epidemics, consumer price have posed many difficulties and challenges to the Branch. In that context, Uncle Ho's teachings have acted as orders and become a driving force for the Branch to fulfill its task. Accordingly, the Branch, especially Department of Military Supplies (DMS), has actively advised the General Department of Logistics (GDL) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) on many policies and solutions to reform and improve the ordnance work as well as satisfy the requirements set by this work in the new era. Notably, attention has been paid to counselling and directing a reform in ensuring military supplies in tandem with the implementation of the new financial management mechanism within the Military. The management work has been decentralised to create reasonable supply sources, strictly manage bidding activities in production and procurement in accordance with the Military’s practical condition, and boost the efficiency of logistics support. The Branch has promoted the active role of ordnance bodies at all levels in exploiting and creating supply sources, ensuring timely and sufficient ordnance for combat readiness and contingency tasks. The work of ensuring military supplies has been frequently renovated with the increasing quality. Due regard has been paid to monitoring market price fluctuations to opportunely adjust troops’ meal ration in line with the budget and drastically adopting measures to stabilise and improve troops’ life. In order to better troop’s ration in the new situation, the Branch has invested in modernising and replacing messes’ equipment, thereby fundamentally changing the messes’ appearance across the Military. The provision of military uniform has also been constantly reformed. Specifically, almost all types of uniform have been renovated in terms of style and colour to ensure compactness, durability, beauty, and diversity.

The DMS inspecting a rice depot of the Military Region 9

Promoting the spirit of self-reliance and self-resilience in the logistics work, the Branch has proposed various strategic policies on increasing animal and crop husbandry, while directing units within the whole Military to enhance this work. Up to now, most of the units have been 100% self-sufficient in vegetable and tofu as well as 60% - 70% self-sufficient in meat and fish, thus directly raising the quality of troops’ ration and contributing to socio-economic development, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation in their stationed areas. Noticeably, since 2020, amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DMS has actively cooperated with units and localities in providing millions of face masks for the entire Military and necessary supplies for the forces on the front line against the epidemic and ensuring food for tens of thousands of people in quarantine zones managed by the Military, hence contributing to the overall positive results of the entire Military and earning the trust and appreciation from the Party, the Government, and local party committees, authorities and citizens.

In the coming years, more increasingly high requirements will be imposed on the work of ensuring military supplies. Meanwhile, the budget is still limited. Equipment and facilities for ordnance assurance have yet to keep up with the developments of the Military’s missions and combat equipment. There will be complicated happenings in price, natural disasters, and epidemics. Thoroughly grasping Uncle Ho's teachings, the whole Branch will overcome all difficulties and adopt synchronous, scientific solutions to successfully fulfil all the assigned tasks.

First of all, proactively give advice on ensuring adequate, opportune military supplies for combat readiness and contingency missions. The Branch continues thoroughly grasping Uncle Ho's teachings and resolutions, directives, and conclusions by the Party, the State, the MND, and the GDL on the military-defence task and the logistics work. Grounded on those documents, significance is attached to studying, forecasting, and counselling the ordnance work, especially at strategic level, to meet the requirements of Military build-up in the new era. To that end, the Branch needs to develop and execute an action plan for realising targets and goals of the logistics work set by the Resolutions of the 11^th Military Party Congress and the GDL's Party Congress for the 2020 - 2025 tenure. Additionally, it is necessary to perfect methods of supply and mechanism for creating ordnance resources and reserving supplies for combat readiness and contingency missions in accordance with the characteristics of the Military and the market economy. At the same time, priority is given to well ensuring the needs of ordnance for the task of combat readiness, especially for the forces assigned to protect the national sovereignty over waters, islands and borders.  Besides, the ordnance reserves for combat readiness and national defence at strategic warehouses and units must be stringently managed. The Branch also proposes the construction and operation of logistics service in defensive zones and gradually invests in building warehouses and ordnance stations in strategic logistics bases. Moreover, it regularly supplements and adjusts the system of documents on logistics support at all levels in line with the requirements of combat readiness, while formulating action plans for ensuring military supplies to meet the demands of the early years of the war.

Fully understanding that “Having good intake, troops will be powerful," the DMS continues directing and well ensuring regular supplies with a focus placed on improving the quality of troops' ration and uniform. The Branch strictly maintains supply sources in accordance with the Law on Bidding, while closely managing, inspecting and supervising the creation of supply sources and troops' ration assurance. Great value is attached to reforming food processing and improving cooking ability to ensure food hygiene and safety and raise the quality of troops' meals. Simultaneously, the Branch keeps undertaking researches into military uniform, especially for field training and proactively places orders to ensure troops' uniform. In addition, it sticks to researches and investments in modernising messes' equipment and field logistics services under the direction on modernising our Military, with priority given to the messes in the island, coastal areas and those under services, corps, and border guard posts. Furthermore, consideration is given to installing drinking water filtration systems in a number of units and proposing plans for equipping some units with field kitchens to serve training, combat, and rescue operations.

Following Uncle Ho’s teachings: “...it is necessary to increase animal and crop husbandry and practice thrift in order to raise your own living standard and reduce the people’s contribution,” the Branch continues advising, directing and instructing units in the entire Military to boost animal and crop husbandry. Under the professional guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Resolution of the 11^th Military Party Congress, the DMS directs units to execute this work proactively, safely, and efficiently to improve troops’ life and contribute to socio-economic development in their stationed areas. In particular, the DMS advocates the development of large-scale intensive, specialised production zones and the application of scientific, technical advances to animal and crop husbandry. Attention is also paid to cooperating with functional agencies of the MARD in developing mechanisms and policies on technical and technological support and provision of high-quality breeds and seedlings with the aim of achieving a breakthrough in the Military's animal and crop husbandry.

Adhering to Uncle Ho’s teachings: “Cadres are the root of all work,” “...above the others, logistics cadres must show their diligence, thrift, honesty, and righteousness as a role model,” the Branch’s functional agencies focus on consolidating the organisational structure of all-level ordnance units and offices, making them comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical”, and building a contingent of “both red and expert” cadres and employees capable of meeting the task requirements in the new situation. In this regard, great weight is adding to resolving the inadequacy and imbalance of human resources, strengthening ordnance agencies at military region, army corps, service, and corps levels, and building a pool of specialised cadres as the core force in charge of animal and crop husbandry at units. In the face of the high task requirements in the new situation, the Branch actively, proactively undertakes researches and enhances the quality of equipment used for the supply work in line with the gradual modernisation of the Military, while applying technical advances, especially information technology to the direction and management of military supplies. Furthermore, the Branch perfects the system of norms for troops and tasks’ military supplies as well as develops theories of ensuring military supplies in the socialist-oriented market economy and in the new combat conditions.

Maj. Gen. AN PHUONG NAM, Director of the DMS