Institute 486, a facility under Command 86, is responsible for research, development and improvement of technical equipment and software; consulting, testing and testing the security of information systems; training and technology transfer to serve the tasks in cyber warfare and information technology field. At the same time, it is tasked with combat readiness tasks, responding to military computer network incidents of the entire army and key agencies of the Party and State. This is a new and very heavy task, with many difficulties and challenges. The tasks that the Institute undertakes are highly specific, while the technical equipment and software systems of the units are diverse in types, with limited capabilities for synchronisation and upgradation. In particular, some types of new generation technical equipment are integrated with modern technologies and techniques, while the manufacturing technology changes rapidly,... making it difficult for us to exploit and master; espionage activities in cyberspace, cyber-attacks, and cybercrime are becoming increasingly complex with different scales and sophisticated tricks, etc. Meanwhile, the Institute's structure and staffing are in the maturity stage, with a small pool of experienced and highly-skilled staff and experts; its facilities, especially infrastructure systems, equipment, and labs, have yet to keep up with the development of tasks. Faced with that reality, the Institute has been synchronously implementing solutions to promote scientific research, creating a basis for improving the quality of all aspects of work, meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation.

Leader of the Institute checks task performance of its staff

First of all, the Institute focuses on reviewing, building and supplementing scientific research orientations in accordance with the development of the task of protecting national sovereignty in cyberspace. Deeply grasping Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW, dated 25 July 2018 of the Politburo on the Strategy for Fatherland protection in cyberspace; Resolution No. 1652-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission on leadership of military scientific work to 2030 and beyond, along with directives and instructions of the Ministry of National Defence, Command 86, the Institute focuses on building and perfecting medium- and long-term scientific research orientations as a basis for implementation each year, in accordance with the Unit's capabilities and the goal of building a modern cyber warfare force. Up to now, the Institute has built the Project to develop Institute 486 for the 2024 – 2025 period and orientation to 2030, in which, developing high-skill human resources is considered the central task; upgradation of infrastructure, equipment, and modern laboratories is seen as an important and urgent task. This is the basic ground for the Institute to develop and promulgate resolutions and plans for leading, directing and implementing scientific research tasks in a unified, synchronous, and practical manner. At the same time, it is a basis for inspecting and assessing the quality and progress of implementation, promptly overcoming and rectifying existing problems, helping unit overcome difficulties and obstacles in their task performance.

Based on the identified orientations, the Institute focuses on promoting and enhancing scientific and technological potentials to meet both immediate and long-term requirements, focusing on building and developing human resources. Implementing this content, along with focusing on perfecting the organisation and staffing in the direction of "lean, compact, strong", with majors, ages and qualifications being kept in balance, the Institute pays special attention to training, fostering and improving qualifications and experience for its cadres and researchers. To be effective, the Institute applies various training and retraining forms; encourages its staff to conduct self-study and research in research groups; and attaches importance to the transfer of experience between groups and generations of staff, etc. On the other hand, it proactively coordinates with functional agencies of Command 86 to offer attractive incentives for training, fostering, and employing highly specialised staff and excellent young scientists with the aim of building a contingent of leading experts in research directions and forming engineers in analysing and designing technology solutions. To date, 100% of its cadres and researchers have university degrees or higher qualifications, in which 32% were trained abroad, 54% hold master and doctorate degrees. This is truly the core force that makes the Institute's scientific research work more and more developed and solid, meeting the task requirements in the new situation.

Actively involving in scientific research

Operating in intensive and specific field that requires the use and operation of many modern equipment and technologies, to complete its tasks well, the Institute promotes investment in construction, upgradation and modernisation of its facilities and technologies. First of all, it actively reviews the current status of the existing system of facility and technological equipment; researches and grasps the trends of advanced technology development in the country, region and world,... as a basis for building and proposing to Command 86 the schemes, projects, plans, and programmes for equipment procurement with appropriate roadmap and steps. At the same time, it focuses on promoting the strengths of the researching staff and the role of the Key Information Security Laboratory in researching, designing, upgrading and expanding the existing equipment. Recently, it has researched and developed 42 tasks with software products and technology solutions on cyber warfare, information security and digital transformation,... contributing to consolidating, upgrading the researching equipment systems.

Currently, in the face of the strong development of science and technology and the emergence of many new combat methods in cyberspace, the Institute proactively combines basic research with applied research for practically serving cyber warfare missions, as well as responding to rapid changes in technology. Based on scientific research orientation, the Institute promotes basic research with a focus on developing background technology to serve cyber warfare tasks, such as: big data technology (Big Data) and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms; methods of detecting and preventing malicious code; technology for designing information security equipment, etc., to create initiative in grasping new technology, ready for developing research and application of products to serve cyber warfare tasks. Regarding applied research, it develops basic research with results published in prestigious domestic and international journals, and implemented applied research topics and tasks associated with products to practically serve cyber warfare tasks and ensure information security.

Together, the Institute encourages and attaches responsibility to each collective and individual, especially party committees, commanders of specialised research departments, and project managers with the tasks of basic and applied research. Accordingly, the quality and progress of project, research topics and products as "KPI" for commendation and promotion. This has helped promoting synergy and collective intelligence for effectively deploying scientific research tasks and topics. Since 2018 to date, it has completed 02 projects and 01 task at the Ministry of National Defence level; 11 research topics, 43 Command-level tasks; 14 Institute-level projects and published 39 scientific articles in prestigious domestic and international journals.

To expand research topics, absorb new technologies, and promote the in-depth research strengths of units and expert teams, the Institute promotes scientific and technological cooperation with prestigious centres in information technology, military and civilian schools with strong scientific and technological potentials for training its human resources. At the same time, it promotes joint research, seminars, etc. for information and experience exchange to approach and absorb new scientific and technological achievements to serve its research work.

With its initiative, creativity and right direction, the Institute has successfully completed its scientific research tasks; advised the Party Committee and commanders of Command 86 on many appropriate and feasible policies, directions and measures to develop techniques and technologies for cyber warfare operations; conducted the research, improvement, development and effective application of many software and technical equipment to serve cyber warfare tasks, etc. That is the basis and important premise for Institute 486 to continue to steadily develop, striving to become the leading research institution of the Ministry of National Defence in the fields of information security, cyber warfare and digital transformation, meeting the requirements of building and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Lieutenant Colonel, PhD. NGUYEN TRUNG DUNG, Director