Thoroughly grasping and implementing the policies of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on building modern Air Defence - Air Force, the Party Committee and the Military Command of the Air Defence - Air Force have been focusing on leading and directing the comprehensive implementation of all aspects of work in which technical work is identified as one of decisively pivotal contents.

In recent years, as a force with priority in building towards modernity, the Air Defence - Air Force has been equipped with multiple types of newly advanced and modernised facilities. This is a favourable condition for the Air Defence - Air Force to improve its overall quality and combat strength, meeting the requirements of firmly managing and protecting the Fatherland's sky. Besides the advantages, the Defence - Air Force also faces several difficulties and challenges such as the management of a wide variety of technical equipment in which many of them are obsolete and overused, the complex maintenance of new generation technical equipment, the shortage of spare parts for special equipment, etc. On the other hand, due to high intensity of use and complex terrain and climatic conditions, weapons and equipment have been quickly degraded or broken down. In some aspects, the Air Defence - Air Force's capabilities have not kept up with requirements, tasks, and the rapid development of science and technology. Moreover, there is also a shortage of skillful technical staff.

Leader of the Air Defence - Air Force checks technical work at A32 Factory

Faced with that situation, the Party Committee and the Military Command of the Air Defence - Air Force have led and directed the forces, the core of those is the technical branch to implement comprehensive technical work that resulted in significant achievements. Agencies and units have successfully implemented technical tasks of ensuring adequate and timely technical equipment for training, combat readiness, flight control and management as well as other unscheduled tasks. Soldiers' awareness and responsibility for technical work and the advisory and directing capacity of technical agencies at all levels have been increased along with lots of innovations and creativity in technical work. The programmes, goals, and targets for this work have basically met and exceeded the set plans. The system of factories, technical security facilities, and warehouses has been gradually upgraded and modernised. Scientific researches and technical trainings are highly valued resulted in noticeable achievements. Especially, the Air Defence - Air Force has made great strides in improving and modernising existing technical equipment as well as initially mastering new generation technical equipment and high technology applications.

On the contrary, the technical assurance work for some types of technical equipment is somehow ineffective, namely as the dependence on partners for major maintenance and supply of spare parts. In some projects of high technology, improvement and modernisation of technical equipment have been implemented slowly. Safety assurance work is not thorough, occupational accidents, fire and explosion incidents still occur.

In the coming time, there will be new developments in the task of building the Army, consolidating national defence, and protecting the Fatherland. The Air Defence - Air Force continues to promote building an elite, compact, strong and modern structure, carrying out important tasks. That situation is about to create diverse tasks and problems facing the Air Defence - Air Force's technical work. In order to improve the quality of technical work, meeting the demand of tasks in the new situation, the Air Defence - Air Force continues to synchronously implement solutions, focusing on successfully implementing some of the following contents:

First, strengthen the leadership and direction of party committees and commanders at all levels regarding technical work. This is the most important content, the decisive factor to successfully complete all technical tasks. Party Committees and commanders at all levels throughout the Air Defence - Air Force continue to deeply grasp and strictly implement Resolution No. 1656-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission on leadership of technical work from now to 2030 and the following years, along with the orders and technical work plans of the Ministry of National Defence,... to encourage awareness and action during the implementation. On that basis, proactively review and propose policies and implementation solutions suitable for each force, meeting the requirements of building modern Air Defence - Air Force. At the same time, regularly review and supplement targets and measures in programmes and plans to increase the chance of success while implementing the Resolution. Accordingly, in the coming time, the Air Defence - Air Force will focus on effectively advising the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on technical work, especially in building and implementing procurement plans, programmes and projects to improve and modernise technical equipment; improve the quality and efficiency of technical assurance work; build and reorganise logistics and technical forces at all levels, etc. Direct agencies and units to improve the quality and efficiency of technical work; choose the right breakthrough step, focusing on key content, key points, new and urgent issues to create strong changes in this pivotal work right from the grassroots units. In particular, continue to promote political and ideological education, making all officers and soldiers deeply and fully aware of the important role of technical work in completing the unit's tasks and the goal of building modern Air Defence - Air Force, meeting the requirements of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Maintaining vehicle before deploying new task

Second, synchronously and effectively carry out all aspects of technical work to meet the requirements of building modern Air Defence - Air Force. Accordingly, along with coordinating and successfully performing the advisory function with the Ministry of National Defence on procurement to ensure equipment for the modernisation process, the Air Defence - Air Force shall direct its functional agencies, especially the Department of Technics, to regularly review and firmly grasp the technical equipment capacity, advise the Air Defence - Air Force Command to plan, adjust, balance, mobilise, especially upgrade and provide new technical equipment to units in order to take the best advantages of strategic air defence arrangements throughout the country. In addition, it is necessary to review and remove outdated weapons and technical equipment without spare parts, to meet the technical assurance requirements for immediate and future tasks.

To improve the quality of technical assurance in the context of owning both old and new generation technical equipment, the Air Defence - Air Force continues to promote the implementation of assurance according to decentralisation; closely combine on-site technical assurance with mobile assurance; gradually apply technical assurance according to the life cycle of technical equipment. Agencies and units need to strictly maintain technical orders and work regime, continue to effectively implement Campaign 50; strictly manage the preparation process for technical equipment before performing missions, minimising incidents due to technical work, especially those related to flight safety and combat training. At the same time, focus on consolidating and upgrading factories, stations, workshops, and warehouses to ensure the ability to repair, preserve, maintain, and store modern high-tech technical equipment; prioritise investment in units equipped with new and improved weapons, or being stationed in sea and island areas. In particular, to create a breakthrough in technical work, the Air Defence - Air Force should focus on investment in high technology, improving repair capacity for factories, enterprises, stations, and workshops in accordance with the roadmap for weapon and equipment modernisation. By 2025, the Air Defence - Air Force should be able to repair most of its main technical equipment including some types of high-tech technical equipment, gradually becoming autonomous in technical work.

Third, focus on building technical agencies and units at all levels that are "elite, compact, strong, effective and efficient" as the core in technical work. This is the key content that determines the quality of technical work both in the immediate and long term. Based on the results achieved through the merger of logistics and technical agencies at the divisions, regiments and equivalent levels, the Air Defence - Air Force continues to review the situation and problems to build up timely solutions, creating conditions for logistics and technical agencies at all levels to stabilise, operate effectively and efficiently to fulfill requirements and tasks. At the same time, proactively build up steps and solutions to timely merge the Department of Logistics and the Department of Technics as required.

Along with the reorganising process, the Air Defence - Air Force actively review and set up plans, and develop human resources for technical tasks with reasonable structure, sufficient quantity, high quality, that is suitable for the organisational forces and the roadmap of modernisation of the Air Defence - Air Force; strive to fundamentally overcome the imbalance in the number of officials and technical staff by 2025. To achieve that goal, the Air Defence - Air Force need to promote innovation and improve the quality of education and training for officers and technical staff; combine planning and training with arrangement and use; attach importance to planning, training, fostering and developing a team of leading experts, officers, skillful technical staff, and young officials in key, specific and high-tech technical fields as the core of technical forces. Continue to review and propose to the Ministry of National Defence specific policies to attract high-quality human resources; offer favourable remuneration to encourage officers and employees’ dedication to their tasks.

Fourth, promote scientific researches and technical initiatives to meet the requirements of modernising the Air Defence - Air Force. Thoroughly grasp and implement Resolution No. 1652-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission on leadership of military scientific work up to 2030 and the following years, the Air Defence - Air Force shall continue to adjust, supplement the orientation of scientific and technological researches with the focus on the following tasks: improve and upgrade existing technical equipment; design and manufacture new technical equipment; produce specialised materials and spare parts; exploit and master new technical equipment. Accordingly, the Air Defence - Air Force focuses its resources on building key factories to become technical centres which are capable of implementing projects to improve, upgrade and modernise air defence missiles, anti-aircraft guns and radars. Continue to develop the Air Defence - Air Force Technical Institute to become the leading research centre in designing, manufacturing, improving and repairing technical equipment; promote the recovery and manufacturing of high-tech technical equipment.

Along with that, the Air Defence - Air Force attaches importance to promoting the spirit of initiative, creativity, and actively expanding cooperation with domestic and international partners in research, technology transfer, and technical assurance, in order to apply scientific achievements, advanced technology in improving the quality of technical work to meet the requirements of building modern Air Defence - Air Force, firmly protecting the Fatherland's sky in all situations.

Major General PHAM TUAN ANH, Deputy Commander of the Air Defence - Air Force