In 2021, in spite of a lot of difficulties particularly caused by the continuous outbreak and rapid, wide spread of COVID-19 pandemic, with its proactiveness and resolve, the Military Logistics Branch (MLB) adhered to resolutions by the Central Military Commission (CMC), military-defence work, and logistics support directives to synchronously, comprehensively perform its tasks and obtained many encouraging results. It should be noted that all-level logistics offices gave advice to leaderships and commands on grasping situation and directing the provision of logistics support for missions. They proactively reviewed and supplemented the system of logistics support documents, while reserving sufficient logistics materials and equipment for combat readiness and both regular and irregular missions at all levels. The entire MLB well prepared personnel, means, and logistics materials for natural disaster prevention and control and search and rescue and opportunely recommended the Ministry of National Defence (MND) to provide financial assistance for units to quickly stabilise troops’ life. Notably, when COVID-19 pandemic broke out drastically, widely within Ho Chi Minh City and Southern provinces, the MLB opportunely advised all-level commands to issue documents on mobilising a large quantity of personnel, means, and most modern medical equipment to join local party committees and authorities in pandemic prevention and control, thereby proving revolutionary soldiers’ political zeal, determination, capacity, and spirit of sacrificing for the people, being highly appreciated by the Party, the State, the Government, localities, and the people nationwide.

The conference to review the Emulation Movement titled “the MLB follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” in 2021 (photo: qdnd.vn)

In the upcoming time, it is predicted that climate change, environmental pollution, natural disasters, and epidemics, particularly COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be complex and negatively impact on the country’s economy, the people’s life and health, and multiple areas of social life, leading to an increase in prices of commodities. Meanwhile, budgets for activities are still limited. Against those challenges, the MLB will keep grasping and seriously implementing resolutions and directives by the Party and the CMC as well as military-defence work orders, particularly the Logistics Work Order of 2022 by Minister of National Defence, with a focus on well executing several main tasks and measures as follows.

First, better the forecasting capacity, proactively flexibly adapt to situations, and ensure logistics support to meet the task requirements in any circumstance. Thoroughly grasping directives and resolutions by the Party, the State, the CMC, and the MND on responding to non-traditional security challenges, especially the Government’s Resolution 128/NQ-CP, dated October 11^th, 2021 promulgating temporary regulations on safe, flexible adaptation to and effective control over COVID-19 pandemic, the Party Committee of the General Logistics Department has determined to “proactively adapt to situation and enhance capability in providing logistics support to satisfy the task requirements in any circumstance” as a central mission. To well implement that policy, party committees and commands of offices and units across the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) should undertake researches into troops’ practical activities in each specific environment and task to correctly evaluate and anticipate potential risks and impacts. Grounded on those researches, they should exercise their leadership and direction over sufficient logistics support for both regular and irregular missions. Offices and units within the Military should design various scenarios for natural disasters and epidemics from the lowest to the highest, while developing proper, effective methods of logistics support for each mission and each group of troops, particularly for combat readiness units and forces directly taking part in natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control. It is necessary to fulfil and exceed targets of logistics support, maintain and improve troops’ life, and provide logistics support for performing military-defence task, building the Military, and protecting the people and the Homeland as the consistent guideline in each action. Offices and units should attach great value to promoting their internal strength, effectively mobilising logistics resources within defensive zones, and aligning goals and targets of logistics work with their resolutions on leadership over military-defence work and their work plans to achieve a consensus amongst their cadres, employees, and soldiers. At the same time, consideration should be given to promoting the roles of all-level party committees and commands in raising troops’ awareness of guidelines and policies by the Party, the State, the CMC, and the MND on the VPA’s logistics work in new normality.

Second, give advice on implementing the breakthrough in the VPA’s organisational structure, perfecting methods of logistics support, and improving the effectiveness of developing and realising the MLB’s projects and target programmes. Doing so will provide a solid foundation for raising the quality and effectiveness of military logistics support in both long and short term, adapting to non-traditional security challenges, and building a compact, strong VPA towards modernity under the preset road map. Therefore, offices and units across the Military should grasp and well implement the MND’s decisions on the VPA’s organisational structure, particularly action plans for resolutions and strategies on the MLB’s orgnisational structure. It is essential to step up an administrative reform as the basis for bettering the quality and effectiveness of logistics support and building a compact, strong MLB. To meet their task requirements, in the medium term, offices and units should accelerate adjustments in the logistics force’s organisational structure from divisional level downwards so as to ensure logistics support at grass-roots level units, increase on-the-spot logistics support, and provide logistics support for various contingency missions due to impacts made by epidemics or natural disasters.

Furthermore, competent offices, research centres, academies, units, and scientists in charge of researching the Military’s logistics work should comprehend statutory regulations and the particularities of each sector and unit to step up researches and give advice on formulating statutes on logistics work, amending legal normative documents on logistics work, and closely, scientifically completing methods of logistics support for missions in accordance with the VPA’s development and the country’s practical condition. Offices and units should concentrate on raising the quality of designing and executing projects and target programmes relating to logistics work in line with the Party’s guidelines and the Military’s organisational structure. Importance should be attached to effectively implementing the Projects, namely “adjusting and supplementing logistics depots across the VPA in the period of 2020-2025, towards 2030,” “innovating modes of military water transport in the period of 2021-2030,” and “raising the effectiveness of crop/animal husbandry and food processing across the Military in the period of 2021-2025, towards 2030.” In the short term, emphasis should be placed on effectively realising the Programme to “enhance the capacity of the system of military preventive medicine,” establishing a Vaccine Research and Production Centre within Military Medical Academy and preventive medicine departments within military hospitals, and stepping up the training of human resources to take best care of health of troops and citizens. This is a Programme of strategic importance to satisfying demands of the VPA and the country amidst the complex developments of natural disasters and epidemics, especially COVID-19 pandemic.

Third, focus on building an “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong MLB. The building of a comprehensively strong MLB will help create a favourable condition for successfully fulfilling its missions amidst non-traditional security challenges and the developments of logistics work. Thus, offices and units across the VPA should strictly maintain the MLB’s working regulations and military standard order building under instructions on building “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong units, while improving their logistics cadres, employees, and soldiers’ responsibility, political zeal, and professional competence. Due attention should be paid to closely managing budgets, facilities, and logistics equipment, observing statutory regulations on procurement, practising thrift, and fighting against wastefulness and negative practices, particularly in acquiring, managing, using, and maintaining logistics materials at all levels. It is essential to organise logistics training courses for logistics staff in accordance with units’ combat and contingency missions. Significance should be attached to providing synchronous, intensive training courses for logistics cadres, employees, and soldiers so that logistics cadres will know how to organise logistics work during missions, logistics employees will master logistics equipment, and logistics soldiers will know how to set up accommodation during field training marches. Besides, it is important to continue standardising logistics education and training programmes.

In addition to those above-mentioned measures, the MLB will keep applying scientific and technological advances and initiatives, stepping up the administrative reform and the e-government building in logistics work, and ensuring cyber security. It will foster logistics cooperation with militaries of ASEAN member states, traditional friends, and neighbours, with a focus on military medical field. At the same time, it will continue enhancing the Emulation Movement titled “the MLB follows Uncle Ho’s teachings,” the Determination to Win Emulation Movement, and campaigns to build “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong logistics offices and units as an important precondition for its successful fulfilment of all assigned missions in the new situation.

Lt. Gen. TRAN DUY GIANG, Director of the General Logistics Department