In 2019, the whole Military will carry out its missions with many significant, breakthrough targets, which will impose very high new requirements on the technical work. Against that backdrop, the Technical Branch should be further “proactive, creative and self-reliant” in performing the technical work synchronously, comprehensively, striving to fulfil the assigned targets and tasks.

In 2018, under the close leadership and direction of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the Ministry of National Defence (MND), and all-level party committees and commands within the entire Military, with the strong determination, the technical work achieved the positive results. The Technical Branch, first and foremost the General Technical Department (GTD) advised the CMC and the MND on the strategic issues on the military technical work, while directing, instructing and effectively carrying out this work, thereby providing adequate support for the Military to perform the training and combat readiness tasks and other contingency ones. Notably, the GTD counselled the formulation of the 324-KT Project on the 2018-2030 budget for the technical support for materiel acquired since 2001 and the KA-10 Project on the adjusted and supplemented planning of armouries in the entire Military in the 2018-2025 period and beyond, while carrying out programs/projects on innovating and extending the lifespan of materiel. The quality of technical support and particularly exploitation of new-generation materiel was considerably enhanced. The system of depots, stations, and factories in the whole Military continued to be consolidated and upgraded regularly, safely. The operation of the Technical Branch was put in order and ceaselessly effective.

In 2019, the military-defence mission and the Military build-up will continue to have new developments. The whole Military will step up the streamlining of its organizational structure as well as training and combat readiness; therefore, the demand for materiel and technical support will greatly increase, and many modern weapons and equipment will be used and exploited. Against that backdrop, the entire Military, first and foremost the Technical Branch should grasp its function and task as well as higher echelons’ resolutions and directives, and promote its core role in synchronously, comprehensively carrying out the technical work, with a focus on the following.

1. Proactively giving advice to the CMC, the MND and all-level party committees and commands on leading, directing and effectively performing the technical work. The Technical Branch, particularly departments and offices of the GTD should actively grasp the situation and improve the quality of counselling the technical work to meet the military-defence and Homeland protection in the new situation. It is necessary to give advice on adjusting and perfecting the Technical Branch’s structure in accordance with the technical support for the Military’s materiel and organization until 2021; to develop and implement the projects on acquiring, innovating and modernizing materiel under the MND’s Decision 2575/QĐ-BQP, dated June 30th 2018, on ensuring materiel for the Military until 2025 as well as the 324-KT and KA-10 projects; to strengthen military technical cooperation; and to complete the mode of technical support for new-generation materiel. The all-level technical offices and units should further advise party committees and commands on well executing the plans to realize the Resolution 382-NQ/ĐUQSTW and the Campaign 50 to improve the quality of technical work.

2. Focusing on providing technical support for the Military’s materiel. This is the centrepiece of the technical work. Therefore, it is important to effectively implement the 324-KT Project and other programs/plans on procuring, innovating, manufacturing and modernizing materiel under the approved road map to sufficiently, opportunely provide materiel for the entire Military. Besides, due attention should be paid to reviewing and resolutely removing weapons and equipment which have been out of the plan and unable to receive the technical support. Technical offices and units should be proactive in comprehensive technical support on a fundamental, stable, focalized basis. Due regard should be paid to providing technical support for the new-generation, upgraded, modernized materiel; improving the quality of repair at units; maintaining the technical coefficient of the materiel for combat readiness and the units tasked with sea, island, border protection. It is essential to promote the effectiveness of technological investment projects and programs on military technical cooperation with other countries in order to enhance the quality of materiel maintenance and repair as well as increase the reliability and lifespan of materiel. It is necessary to actively manufacture spare parts and technical materials for regular technical support and reserve. Units should strictly maintain the order for maintenance and repair as well as the technical coefficient of materiel in accordance with the regulations, while supplementing and upgrading repair stations and workshops, and enhancing the technical support and on-spot and mobile repair capability.

Technical offices and units should focus on completing the planning of Army-wide materiel repair establishments, making preparations for executing the KA-10 Project to build a standardized system of technical depots, meeting the requirements of technical work in the new situation. At the same time, they should concentrate on measures for fire and explosion prevention and control as well as the safety and hygiene regulations.

3. Raising the quality of technical training and actively applying technology to technical support. To do so, units should continue grasping the CMC’s Resolution 765-NQ/QUTW, adhering to the GTD’s Guidance on technical training in 2019, maintaining the order for technical training at all levels, renewing the training content and method, improving the quality of technical training, and ensuring that technical staff are capable of exploiting and providing technical support for the existing materiel. To meet the increasingly high requirements, the whole Technical Branch should continue to strictly implement the Directive 68/CT-BQP by the Minister of National Defence on renewing the program to train technical staff at all levels within the Military. It is vital to improve technical staff’s skills, foreign languages and technical mastery over new-generation, hi-tech materiel and enhance their technical command and staff capability in operations of all types. At the same time, consideration should be given to increasing technical contests and exercises, especially the campaign-level, strategic-level repair establishment contest, the military vehicle accreditation contest and Army-wide depot head contest; to continuing to well provide technical training for the technical reserve force to mobilize them in the event.

In addition to improving the training quality, the entire Technical Branch should further undertake researches and promote technical initiatives and innovations to meet the requirements of modernizing the Military in the new situation. Research centres and institutions should be active in undertaking researches, strengthening cooperation, and applying technologies and achievements of the 4th industrial revolution to handling challenges and urgent requirements for exploiting, preserving, and repairing weapons and technical equipment, particularly modern, hi-tech ones which have been or will be acquired. New technologies should be further applied to manufacturing and trialling materiel, spare parts and technical materials to satisfy the requirements for the military-defence missions.

4. Promoting the work of technical management and building a strong Technical Branch comprehensively. Amidst the rapid development of science and technology, offices and units should continue reviewing, adjusting and perfecting principles, procedures, and regulations on exploiting and providing technical support for materiel, particularly new-generation, hi-tech one. They should be proactive in studying, building and supplementing technical standards and completing the mode of technical support for materiel in accordance with the Military’s modernization. Notably, technical offices and units at all levels should grasp higher echelons’ directions and proactively advise party committees and commands on consolidating the Technical Branch’s organizational structure in accord with the task requirements and the plan for the Military’s organizational structure until 2021. At the same time, it is important to promote the work of education to raise technical staff’s political will, professional ethics, responsibility and professional competence as well as make technical offices and units at all levels strong comprehensively to meet the requirements for the technical work in both long and short terms. Besides, due attention should be paid to applying information technology to management, command and operation, stepping up adminstrative reform in professional operations, and standardizing the technical work. Offices and units should accelerate the Campaign entitled “managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically and traffic safety” in line with other campaigns and the Determined to Win emulation movement, thereby giving an impetus to successfully performing the technical work in 2019.

The Military’s technical work in 2019 will be very onerous. Technical offices and units within the Military should proactively cooperate with relevant forces and promote their core role in the performance of the task, striving to fulfil the stated targets and missions to celebarate the 45th founding anniversary of the GTD, assisting other offices and units within the entire Military in accomplishing the military-defence missions in the new situation.

Lt. Gen. Le Quy Dam, Director of the GTD