Scientific research in general and military scientific research in particular play an important part in building an elite, compact and strong Army towards modernity. Bearing that in mind, the whole army need synchronous and drastic solutions for successfully accomplishing the breakthroughs in improving the quality and effectiveness of the military scientific research in order to meet the demands and missions of safeguarding the Homeland in the new situation.

On grasping and implementing the Party’s and State’s policies and guidelines on developing the military scientific research and considering this content as the key motivation to build and safeguard the Homeland, over the past few years, the Central Military Commission (CMC), and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) have issued many long-term and thorough directing documents on this important factor. Especially, the CMC and the MND have reviewed the implementation of Resolution No. 791-NQ/QUTW, dated 30/12/2012 by the CMC on leading the work of science, technology and environment in the Army to 2020 and the following years; at the same time, issued Resolution No. 1652-NQ/QUTW, dated 20/12/2022 on leading the military science to 2030 and the following years. In the light of these resolutions, together with the direct leadership and directions of the CMC and the MND, the military scientific research has been implemented synchronously, harmoniously and comprehensively, making new developments on fields of military art, military social sciences and humanities, military science and technology, etc. in order to practically and effectively support all activities of training, combat readiness and building the Army. On implementing large programs and projects on products of high synchronicity or complicated technical level, etc., we have mastered the designs and produced many complexes of weapons, highly technical equipment, many researched results have been taken into serial production to support the training and combat readiness of the Army; also improved the skills and capability of scientific-technological research on many fields. The research of basics, fundamental and supplementary technology has gained new steps. The scientific and technological levels in products have approached the ones of the developed countries in the region, especially there are some fields approaching the world levels.

Presently and in the following years, there are still complicated developments in the region and the world; powerful countries have adjusted their policies on defence, which makes the strategic competitions, local conflicts and arms race more intense; the appearance of new types of operations has created new challenges. For the Army, despite being recently equipped with new and modern weapons and materiel, there are still a larger quantity of old ones which have been used for ages, facing the lack of spare parts and difficulties in maintenance and repairs, etc. This requires more attention to be paid to the renovation and development of military scientific research so that it plays an important role in building an elite, compact and strong Army towards modernity.

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Tan Dat and Deputy Minister of National Defence Pham Hoai Nam check the application of science and technology in the Navy

To carry it out, it is first and foremost to clearly define policies and orientations, in both mid- and long-term period, on developing the science and technology in the Army. Offices and units in the Army need to thoroughly grasp the Party’s resolutions and directions, State’s policies and laws on the orientations of military scientific-technological development; strategies on the national scientific-technological development; directly Resolution No. 1652-NQ/QUTW, Plan No. 439/KH-BQP, dated 20/02/2023 on implementing the Strategy on scientific-technological development and creative renovation to the year 2030 in the Army. On this basis, the party committees and commands build their leading resolutions, action plans and programs suitable with their functions, missions and operational areas. In particular, it is necessary to focus on promoting the strength and ability, building the strategies on each agency’s typical research and development, making them appropriate to the Military and Defence Strategies; strength the oriented basic research, research of fundamental and core technology and technology decoding, towards the products of large aims and highly scientific level.

To gain high results, it is necessary to enhance the cooperation between the military science managers and other offices and units in the Army in evaluating the conditions, proposing the demands and well orientating the work of science and technology. It is necessary to concretise the research contents and missions in the long-term way due to the strategy on developing science and technology in the MND; at the same time, well carry out the planning of science and technology annually and in 5-year periods in order to have orientations and adjustment which are suitable, timely and practical to the real demands. It is also vital to focus on renovating and enhancing the awareness of cadres and soldiers in the whole army, especially the leaders and commanders at all levels, on the position and roles of the research, designs and manufacture of new and modern weapons and technical equipment; unify the awareness of the fact that the promotion and development of the military technical science and technology is a main task to build the revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled Army towards modernity.

Secondly, actively verify and unify the plans on the demands for weapons, technical equipment, materials, spare parts and other requirements of the scientific-technological research missions. Closely following the directions from the MND and functional agencies, all units need to enhance their cooperation in verifying and building plans on the demands for weapons, technical equipment, in which, it is necessary to clearly define which products need being imported or received technological transference from foreign countries, which products are domestically-oriented researched, designed and technologically transferred. On that basis, they need to define the scientific-technological requirements and missions in order to research and develop weapons and technical equipment according to the Ministry’s plans, technical supporting mission requirements, especially the high-tech weapons and technical equipment. It is prioritised to provide weapons and equipment for the Air Defence and Air Force, the Navy, the Coastal Guard and the ground forces. Accordingly, weapons, equipment imported and technologically transferred from foreign countries need to be selected, making priority for the ones with technological transference contracts, at the same time, strictly grasp and implement the policy on not importing weapons and equipment which are domestically manufactured with similar technical and tactic requirements to the imported ones and cheaper price. For weapons and equipment which are research-oriented and domestically manufactured, it is necessary to combine between the Ministry’s plans, condition evaluation and real demands from units, build the lists of research, manufacture and repair to ask for the approval from the MND, making the basis to open research topics and missions of science and technology. The lists of research topics and missions need to be in mid- and long-term, towards the products of large aims and highly scientific level; annually, it is necessary to check and complete the orientation lists of research topics and missions, making them close to the units’ demands.

Thirdly, focus on building and developing the military scientific-technological potentials. It is necessary to focus on improving the ability for managing offices, scientific-technological organisations; promote the education of research officers and managers in both quality and quantity. It is also necessary to strengthen the solutions for attracting scientific-technological personnel for defence services; plan and invest into the physical development, systems of labs to meet the demands for typically military missions. In order to ensure human sources for the requirements of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, Department of Military Science should continue to advise the MND to implement programs and plans on educating and further training high-quality personnel sources for the Army; focus on improving the education quality for specialists and scientific cadres in countries with advanced technical and technological level; strength the education due to orders, which are suitable with the researching, designing and manufacturing demands for weapons and technical equipment in the Army; send cadres to practise in research centres, manufacturing houses of weapons and technical equipment in developed countries for them to learn knowledge and experience. It also needs to enhance the planning and wide investment into the material facilities, systems of modern labs in order to meet the demands for scientific-technological research, education and services; at the same time, make favourable conditions for scientific-technological organisations and scientists to carry out their research missions, approach the advances in the region and the world.

In the condition of many complex happenings in the region and the world, the missions of building and safeguarding the Homeland have new developments, requiring more investments and renovations in the scientific-technological research. Together the above groundbreaking policies and solutions, the Department of Military Science needs to actively coordinate with relevant offices and units to check and evaluate the effectiveness of the research investment, on that basis, to advise the MND to balance between the investment and the real demands; timely propose the repairs, addition and issue new documents to make sure the legality, harmony, synchronicity and suitability with the reality, meeting the demands for state management for science and technology; simultaneously, renovate synchronously, complete the regulations of management and policies in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of science and technology; enhance the creative renovation, making it suitable with the development of missions and combat capability of the Army, contributing to the construction of the revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled, gradually modern Army towards modernity.

Major General, Assoc. Prof. NGO VAN GIAO, Director of the Military Science Department, Ministry of National Defence