Over the past 70 years of construction, development, combat service, and combat (March 27^th, 1951 - March 27^th, 2021), cadres, employees and soldiers of the Artillery Corps’ Logistics Branch have always successfully fulfilled their assigned task to make significant contributions to the heroic Artillery Force’s brilliant feats of arms.

Right in the first period of foundation and in the two resistance wars against the French colonialism and the US imperialism, in spite of numerous difficulties, cadres, employees and soldiers of the Artillery Corps’ Logistics Branch always heightened a sense of self-reliance, proactively mobilised resources, and provided sufficient, timely logistics and technical support for artillery units to fight enemies, develop themselves, achieve land-slide victories, and build up their tradition of “bronze feet, iron shoulders, good combat, and accurate shooting.”

Bringing into play the obtained results and experience, in recent years, the Corps’ Logistics Branch, particularly the Logistics Department have advised the Corps’ Party Committee and Command on leading and directing the logistics work, while adopting measures synchronously to raise their task performance and make a basic, comprehensive, solid change in logistics support, thereby meeting the Corps’ task requirements in the new period. With its achievements, the Branch has been given the Second-Class Feat-of-Arms Order and the Third-Class Fatherland Protection Order by the State. It has also been presented with other noble rewards by the Ministry of National Defence and the Artillery Corps.

At present, the developments in the Corps’ task impose more demanding requirements on the Logistics Branch especially when natural disasters and epidemics become more complex and directly impact on troops’ life and health. To meet the task requirements, the Corps’ Logistics Branch has placed emphasis on building comprehensively strong, “exemplary, typical” logistics offices and units as well as a contingent of logistics cadres, employees and soldiers with political zeal, great professional competence, and dedication to serving troops, while focusing its leadership and direction on realising “three breakthroughs” set by the Resolution of the Logistics Department’s 24^th Party Congress, for the 2020-2025 tenure so as to make a more comprehensive change in the Corps’ logistics work.

First of all, the Corps’ Logistics Branch has continued grasping higher echelons’ resolutions and directives, particularly the Resolution 623-NQ/QUTW, dated October 29^th, 2012 and the Conclusion 86-KL/QUTW, dated January 25^th, 2018 by the Central Military Commission on “leadership over the Military Logistics work towards 2020 and beyond” as the basis for effectively counselling, directing, and operating the logistics work. Consideration has been given to recommending the Corps to consolidate the organisational structure of all-level logistics offices and units from Corps to grass-roots levels in line with the Corps’ force organisation planning. Due attention has been paid to proposing measures to renew and improve logistics support for training, combat readiness and the building of a strong Corps in the new period. Besides, significance has been attached to developing and executing action programmes and plans for the Resolutions of the 11^th Military Party Congress and the Corps’ Party Congress for the 2020-2025 tenure in tandem with the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 623-NQ/QUTW. In the medium term, emphasis has been placed on counselling, directing and operating the implementation of the Projects, namely “planning the systems of logistics depots and infirmaries” and “building the Artillery 675” in the Central Coast Region. Due regard has been paid to renewing the provision of logistics materials, decentralising financial management within the Military, broadening the bidding, and privatising several spheres of logistics support in accordance with the Corps’ task and the characteristics of the market economy. The Logistics Department has counselled and directed offices and units to promote the synergy of forces for executing the emulation movement titled “the Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” in a sustainable, practical, effective manner.

Realising the breakthrough in raising the quality of routine and combat readiness logistics support, the Corps’ Logistics Department has directed units to proactively review, supplement and perfect combat logistics documents, strictly maintain the regulations on logistics-related combat readiness duty, and well manage and preserve materials for combat readiness according to the Directive 14/CL-BQP, dated March 28^th, 2017 by the Minister of National Defence and the Directive 08/CL-BTL, dated May 8^th, 2017 by the Commander of the Artillery Corps. At the same time, importance has been attached to increasing logistics support training and exercises under combat projects in order to increase artillery units’ manoeuvrability and logistics support skills in joint operations and hi-tech warfare. Moreover, due attention has been paid to innovating logistics equipment and means, particularly for field training in accordance with the roadmap for the modernisation of the Corps.

Inspecting a logistics training course

With reference to regular logistics support, in the upcoming time, the Corps’ Logistics Branch will focus on setting and well fulfilling logistics support goals and targets in the period of 2020-2025. To that end, great weight has been added to advising all-level party committees and commands on enhancing their leadership and direction over the logistics work and drastically taking measures for raising the comprehensive quality of logistics support, especially taking care of cadres and soldiers’ health to ensure that they would have truly “bronze feet and iron shoulders.” The Logistics Branch has continued exploiting resources for logistics support, enhancing crop/animal husbandry in a “focalised, closed, sustainable, and effective” fashion, and multiplying the “five-basic” model. It has directed units to actively apply scientific and technical advance to increasing productivity and the quality of products, closely combine crop/animal husbandry with food processing, and better improve the quality of troop meals. In the foreseeable future, all messes within the Corps will meet the criteria for a “mess good at catering and management of military supplies.”

To better protect and take care of troop health, the Logistics Branch has concentrated on building “five-good military medical units.” In the medium term, emphasis has been placed on stringently maintaining measures for COVID-19 prevention and control within units. The Logistics Branch has directed military medical affiliates to well manage, protect, and take care of troop health right at grass-roots level as well as ensure the rate of healthy troops, at 98.5%. It has mobilised resources to acquire equipment for military medical units and make the Infirmaries of the Brigades 45 and 490 capable of providing medical examination and treatment under the health insurance policy. At the same time, it has directed military medical affiliates to enhance the military-civilian medical programme to cement the unity between the Military and the people and build a firm posture of “people’s hearts and minds” in their stationed areas.

Regarding the work of barracks, petroleum, and transport, the Corps’ Logistics Department has focused on realising the emulation movements, namely “building and managing standard, bright, green, clean, scenic barracks,” “managing and using petroleum safely, economically, effectively,” and “building standard, safe, efficient transport units.” It has also concentrated on executing the approved construction projects, stringently maintaining regulations on capital construction, closely supervising the quality of constructions, and working with relevant offices to manage national defence land. At the same time, it has mobilised internal resources to upgrade facilities and provide sufficient equipment, water and electricity for troops’ life. To meet the requirements set by logistics support for a combat, technical corps, the Logistics Department has decentralised and closely managed the provision of petroleum for the Corps’ missions. It has strived to save 10% of petroleum and electricity, while promoting the movement on practising thrift and fighting against wastefulness.

Implementing the breakthrough in military standard order building and discipline management, the Corps’ Logistics Branch has renewed its working method, expanded democracy, performed the logistics work in a transparent manner, and maintained the military standard order at all levels. It has reviewed, supplemented, and perfected work regulations and assigned the responsibility to each office and commander of offices, committees, and units. At the same time, great value has been attached to political and ideological education to raise logistics cadres, employees and soldiers’ awareness, responsibility, and serving attitude as the basis for improving their task performance. The Logistics Department has directed all-level logistics offices to enhance discipline management and adopt measures synchronously for ensuring the absolute safety of offices, logistics depots, training, exercises, and live firing. Meanwhile, the Logistics Branch has stepped up a military administrative reform and actively applied information technology to managing and operating the logistics work so as to keep improving its task performance.

Being proud of its 70 years of construction and development, the Artillery Corps’ Logistics Branch will keep striving to successfully fulfil its assigned function and task to better meet the requirements set by the building of a strong Artillery Corps and the Homeland protection.

Sr. Col. DO VAN DUNG, Deputy Head of the Corps’ Logistics Department