Under Resolution 08-NQ/TW, dated 26 January 2022, by the 13^th Politburo, on accelerating the development of defence industry towards 2030 and beyond, the General Department of Defence Industry has been actively implementing comprehensive and synchronous solutions to enhance its capacity in researching, designing, and manufacturing modern weapons and equipment. These efforts aim to meet the requirements of Army building and Fatherland protection in the new era.

To meet the demand of strengthening defence capabilities and building an adept, compact, strong Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) towards modernity, in recent years, the General Department of Defence Industry has proactively studied the developing trends of weapons and technical equipment, particularly the impacts of ongoing military conflicts worldwide. This has served as the basis for submitting strategies to the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) for researching, designing, and producing military weapons and technical equipment. At the same time, the General Department of Defence Industry has focused on scientific research, making breakthroughs in research, design, and manufacture capabilities and technology for weapons and technical equipment. The General Department Party Committee has issued resolutions and regulations on scientific research, developing plans and road map for this work. In addition, the General Department has directed units to introduce and implement new projects and programs at national and ministerial levels. The proposal of research topics and tasks has shifted from small scale to large-scale, highly integrated initiatives, resulting in various modern products with advanced features, integrated systems, and high technology.

Lt. Gen. Ho Quang Tuan addressing the conference to review defence industry work of 2024 (photo: mod.gov.vn)

With political resolve and appropriate solutions, the General Department of Defence Industry has achieved significant breakthroughs in researching, designing, and manufacturing weapons and technical equipment. So far, it has successfully developed and manufactured various modern types of weapons with advanced tactical and technical features, comparable to those of nations having developed defence industry. These include new-generation infantry weapons (anti-tank and reactive armour-piercing guns and ammunition, thermobaric rounds, jamming rounds, new mortar shells, armour-piercing infantry rounds, extended-range rocket artillery, etc.), high-powered guided weapons, advanced armoured vehicles, unmanned systems, and modern vessels. The General Department has mastered foundational and core technologies, developing special alloy grades and essential materials, achieving full autonomy in manufacturing propellants and explosives for infantry ammunition, meeting the basic needs of ground forces while significantly contributing to modernising the Navy and the Air Defence - Air Force, etc. Those efforts also help enhance self-reliance, reduce dependence on imported weapons, materials, and components, and save state budget. The quality of weapons and equipment manufactured by the Defence Industry Sector continues to be improved, meeting operational requirements, ensuring safety during training and combat readiness, earning the trust of the armed forces.

In the upcoming years, while peace, cooperation, and development will remain an overarching trend, global and regional developments are unpredictable. The 4^th Industrial Revolution is profoundly reshaping science, technology, and military advancements, imposing new and pressing defence-related requirements on countries, including Vietnam. To fulfil the objective of building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA by 2030 as the basis for ushering Vietnam into a new era - the era of the nation’s rise, the General Department of Defence Industry will rigorously implement resolutions, directives, and conclusions by the Party, State, CMC, and MND on developing a proactive, self-reliant, dual-purpose, and modern defence industry tightly integrated into and serving as the spearhead of national industry. Emphasis will be placed on research and development to master core and foundational technologies, laying a robust foundation for the indigenous design and manufacture of strategically significant and modern weapons and technical equipment for the VPA.

To this end, first of all, the General Department will strengthen the leadership and direction of all-level party committees and commands over scientific research and the application of advanced technologies to the development of new-generation weapons and equipment, meeting the demands of building a modern VPA. This is a core solution to keeping scientific research on track and fully harnessing collective knowledge of engineers, officers, and technical staff. Accordingly, the General Department, with research institutes as the core, will deeply internalise and strictly execute the CMC’s Resolution 1652-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022, on leadership over military scientific work towards 2030 and beyond, and the Politburo’s Resolution 08-NQ/TW, focusing greater leadership and direction of all-level party committees and commands on this crucial task. In the immediate term, consideration will be given to developing and supplementing methods comprehensively for scientific research, relevant to realities. At the same time, proactive research will be conducted to closely monitor global trends in weapons and technical equipment development and give timely advice to the Party, State, CMC, and MND for the effective performance of tasks outlined in the Government's action programs, the MND’s plan to execute Resolution 08-NQ/TW, and strategic research projects on the development of significant weapons and technical equipment to bolster defence industry. The quality of proposing scientific and technological tasks will be elevated (based on the VPA’s demands) to create breakthroughs in research, design, and production capabilities for ground forces, naval vessels, underwater weaponry, missile and military aerospace systems, military hardware, and technical materials.

Second, prioritising investment and development of scientific and technological potential in a comprehensive and in-depth manner, placing human resources at the core. This solution aims to build and cultivate a contingent of outstanding managers, leading experts, top-tier scientists, and chief engineers in specialised fields of defence industry. Accordingly, alongside training and developing personnel with political resolve, a balanced number, standardised professional qualifications for each field, talent, dedication, and passion for scientific research, agencies, units, and research institutes shall adhere to the orientations and goals of defence industry development projects and programs to propose the training of critical fields and personnel. Mechanisms and policies will be developed to attract and recruit high-quality human resources from society into defence industry, coordinate and mobilise civilian scientific and technological institutions and production facilities to participate in training and research in support of defence industry. Furthermore, the General Department will continue to research and propose policies ensuring material and spiritual benefits for officers, workers, and employees in defence industry facilities. Special incentives and recognition will be provided for highly qualified scientific personnel, top experts, chief engineers, senior project designers, skilled technical specialists, and personnel engaged in strategic projects, critical programs, and special assignments, thereby developing high-quality human resources for defence industry.

Alongside human resources development, the General Department will actively mobilise resources to upgrade infrastructures and modernise measurement and testing equipment in a synchronised manner, laying a technical foundation for enhancing its capabilities in researching, designing, and improving weapons and technical equipment. In the medium term, emphasis will be placed on initiating and executing key projects for constructing and modernising technical infrastructures, especially laboratories and facilities for weapon testing. These efforts are expected to create breakthroughs in technical infrastructures and equipment, providing robust support for scientific research, weapon testing, and the development of technical equipment in research projects as well as defence production tasks and other essential missions.

Third, continuing to develop and refine frameworks, regulations, and models for scientific research units to meet the development of a self-reliant, resilient, advanced, modern, and dual-purpose defence industry. Accordingly, while reviewing and drafting normative legal documents for the Law on Defence and Security Industry and Industrial Mobilisation, the General Department will work closely with relevant agencies to study and supplement typical mechanisms and policies including the application of intellectual property laws and the granting of patents for military scientific and technological research, creating breakthroughs in the procedural execution of scientific and technological activities. The General Department will also develop and submit government decrees, decisions of the Prime Minister, and circulars of the MND for approval, with a view to guiding the implementation of the Law on Defence and Security Industry and Industrial Mobilisation, ensuring coherence, consistency, and feasibility across all levels.

Regarding organisational structure, under resolutions of the Politburo, resolutions of the CMC, and the MND’s plan on organising the VPA in the period of 2021 - 2030 and beyond, the General Department will intensify the restructuring and reorganisation of units according to specialised product sectors, making them adept, compact, efficient, advanced, and modern, establishing defence industry complexes strategically positioned across three regions: North, Central, and South, developing some enterprises as core drivers to advance scientific research activities. Proposals will be made for the establishment of innovation hubs and national-level core technology laboratories, particularly in foundational and cutting-edge technologies. Additionally, laboratories and applied research centres will be set up within factories to facilitate the immediate application and further development of new technologies arising from ongoing research. The General Department will also incentivise and promote the research and design of weapons and technical equipment at production facilities, reinforcing the integration between research units, manufacturing factories, and operational units to enhance the production process and raise the quality of products. For optimal results, the General Department will accelerate digital transformation and adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, incorporating international standards in managing and operating enterprises and product quality assurance, turning research institutes into units with financial autonomy.

Fourth, expanding international cooperation, effectively adopting various forms of collaboration, technology transfer, and application of scientific and technological achievements to develop modern weapons and technical equipment. Weapons are considered as one of the critical secret factors determining a nation's military strength and status. Some are even top-secret strategic weapons and equipment and difficult to access. Meanwhile, material technology sector in our country is still underdeveloped, lacking research, measurement, testing equipment, and production technology lines for new-generation, hi-tech weapons. To meet the demands of this mission, the General Department will actively develop and refine the project on "Enhancing cooperation, competitiveness, international integration, and defence industry product export", as a foundation for intensifying international defence industry cooperation in the future. At the same time, the General Department will effectively mobilise and utilise resources, strengthening joint ventures and partnerships with domestic and foreign corporations to research and develop dual-purpose products, for both domestic needs and exports. Trade promotion activities will be intensified, including the organisation of international defence exhibitions, to continue to popularise the image of Vietnam's defence industry all over the world.

Thoroughly grasping the goals, viewpoints, and strategic lines of the Party, State, CMC, and MND on building and developing defence industry, promoting its tradition, resilience, and scientific intellect, the General Department of Defence Industry will continue to make breakthroughs in enhancing research capabilities, gradually mastering the work of designing, manufacturing, and developing new-generation weapons to meet the requirements of VPA building and Fatherland protection.

Lt. Gen. HO QUANG TUAN

Director of the General Department of Defence Industry