Technical facilities are considered a crucial important factor directly contributing to the quality improvement of education and scientific research. These are both the basis and condition for the Military Technological Academy (MTA) to become a first-class centre of education, training and scientific research of the Military and country. In order to meet the demands and missions in the new situation, take full advantage of opportunities and overcome challenges of the 4^th Industrial Revolution, the MTA has built and implemented the Project on the Academy development planning to 2030, with a vision  to 2045, including  targets: To 2030, building the Academy to be one of the first-class research institution of science, technique and technology in the country; mostly integrating into the system of universities in the region and gradually integrating into the ones in the world; giving highly-qualified multidisciplinary education which is appropriate with the national and international competence framework; serving the cause of building the revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled and gradually modernised Military, and the industrialisation and modernisation cause  of the country. Thoroughly grasping these directions and targets, over the past few years, under the leadership and direction by the Academy’s Party Committee and Board of Directors, the Technical Department has drastically and synchronously implemented solutions to build technical facilities, making the basis for the quality improvement of education, research, etc., gradually fulfilling the standards of a research university.

General Phan Van Giang visits the exhibition of products made by the Academy

First and foremost, focus on checking and completing the project on facility-improved investment to meet the reality demands into the main factors and the prioritised ones in the long run. With the active and creative spirit and basing on the defined aims, the Technical department has actively studied, proactively proposed to the Academy solutions for building the general project, plans on upgrading and developing the technical facilities in synchronous and comprehensive but focused way. Of which, for 1^st-class weapons and technical equipment, the Department advised the Academy to invest and upgrade to modern and typical specialised ones related to services and arms advancing straight to modernity. For producers, practice and technical supporting centres, the Department advised the Academy to plan, invest and upgrade closely with the programs and targets of the technical work; prioritise the investment in new education subjects, modern stations and factories for manufacturing robots, new materials, 3D printing, facilities and software on cloud computing, artificial intelligence, information safety, mechatronics, technical physics, nano technology, etc. For specialised and specific lecture rooms, it should be paid more attention to invest into seminatural simulation models of modern weapons and facilities; simulation software, audio-visual equipment, smart connection, etc. in order to build the big data system of lessons of seminatural practice, virtual reality which can be commonly used in the local area network. For laboratories, it is prioritised to invest into facilities related to strong fields to foster the Academy-branded products and research work which have been gaining international recognition such as: artificial intelligence, big data, robots, new materials, etc. Besides, to create the breakthroughs in the scientific research and attracting the best scientists from domestic and foreign education centres to give lectures and do scientific research in the Academy, the Department has actively studied, recommended and been approved by the Academy with the priority on building several important laboratories which have been equipped with cutting edge  and synchronous systems of facilities updated to the ones in high-ranking universities in the region and in the world in order to offer high-quality services of education, scientific research and technological application.

Together, the Technical Department has well carried out its consulting function in building and conducting plans and projects on developing the facilities according to the schedule defined in the Academy development planning Project. Accordingly, the Department has proactively coordinated with other offices and units to check and summarise their needs for the technical facility development; on that basis, to research and advise the Academy to build the medium-term investment plan (2021 - 2025) and other investing plans on facility development in a way that is modernised, synchronous and suitable with the education aims and the development trend of science and technology. In its implementation process, the Department has actively coordinated with other offices and units to make good preparation, from observing, surveying to selecting technology and equipment; thus, to decide the list, quantity, types, origins, technical and tactical specifications to purchase, at the same time, prepare the staffs to receive the technology and facilities; build the plans on technological transference, using manuals, etc. in order to improve the investment effectiveness.

In order to assure the quality of these invested facilities, the Department has advised the Academy to found the Supervision Group for the quality of purchased facilities, the Supervision Group for the quality of basic construction to organise the official acceptance (including technical acceptance, quality assessment, security check and verification, general acceptance, etc.), through which to foster the quality control and standards of the invested facilities, making sure that they can be put into use right after the official acceptance for the education and scientific research tasks of the Academy. Since 2016, with the counseling assistance and active implementation from the Department and other related offices, the Academy has built and implemented 91 projects; of which, 75 projects have been timely accomplished with the assured quality, 16 projects have been implemented, including 4 projects on technological investment, 28 projects on basis construction and 59 projects on basically technical investment. Noticeably, in recent time, the Department has proactively researched and advised the Academy to report to and be approved by the Defence Ministry 3 new projects: Rooms equipped with the Sonar system; human resources education for cyberwarfare; laboratories on kinetic weapons and optical technology for the defence industry and the Centre for the nano research and application. Through doing investing plans and projects on facility development, the Academy’s facilities, laboratories in particular, have been equipped with many modern apparatuses, contributing to strengthening the scientific and technological potential and offering suitable conditions for all offices and units to successfully accomplish many national-level and Ministry-level scientific topics. This is an important premise for the Academy to reach standards of a research institution, and effectively participate in experimental production and technological transference for high-tech weapons of the Military.

In recent years, on implementing the policy on building the revolutionary, regular, highly-skilled and gradually modernised army; prioritising the modernisation for several services, arms and forces, the systems of weapons and technical equipment of the Military have been gradually upgraded and modernised; the systems of facilities serving the education, the practical training in particular, of the Academy, however, have not kept pace with the reality. As a matter of fact, in order to well implement the motto of “The education quality of a school is the level of combat readiness of units”, the Academy has enhanced the product-oriented scientific research to supply enough facilities and equipment for education and practical training. To do this, the Technical Department has proactively advised the Academy to build and sign the coordination program with some general departments, services and arms on implementing the technical work and scientific research; making suitable conditions for groups of researchers and scientists to practically study the weapons and technical equipment in units, thus, to build and implement research and manufacture topics on the equivalent simulation facilities. In order to effectively do these topics, the Department has recommended the Academy methods of gathering resources including both finance and staffs; providing the production and experimentation facilities for researchers and scientists. Besides, together with promoting the movements of initiatives and technical improvement regarding the construction of software, facilities and simulation systems serving the management, education and practical training, the Department has advised the Academy to direct the faculties, departments to help with cadets’ dissertations and topics connected with developing products for education and practical training in the Academy in particular and in the Military in general. With practical and effective solutions, since 2020, the Academy has successfully designed and manufactured 04 seminatural models (The control unit in S300-PMU1 missiles, T55 tanks, engineering vehicles, electronic warfare equipment), 01 simulation room of the AK230 naval  gun  and other software and equipment.

Together with counselling on technical facility investment, the Department has proactively advised the Academy to build the IT and communication infrastructure for training, scientific research and management. On proving the role of a chairing organ and a coordinating centre in implementing the technical work, in recent years, the Technical Department has proactively coordinated with the Department of Education and Training and other offices, units to build software of education management, software of scientific research management, software of anti-copying the graduation dissertations; taken into use the Academy Portal; coordinated with the Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) to implement several projects, including the “Face identification for training management”, “online briefings in offices and units”, etc. The Department has also upgraded, widened and increased the transmission capacity, installed new terminals for the Local Area Network; increased the Wi-Fi coverage, upgraded and smoothly operated the systems of security cameras, classroom cameras, fingerprint rollcall, etc. making a great contribution to changing the working and studying manner and methods, improving the quality of training, scientific research and management in the Academy.

Bringing into play the gained achievements, the Technical Department, in coming time, continues to check and firmly grasp the conditions of the technical facilities, at the same time, proactively analyse and anticipate the development of equipment for the education, training and scientific research over the country and the world, and also the training demands in units in the whole Military in order to advise the Academy to build and implement the projects on upgrading and modernising the facilities which are suitable with reality. The Department needs to direct offices and units, especially the technical ones, to maintain and strictly implement the regulations of the technical work; enhance the Campaign 50, promote the roles and responsibility of all cadres, lecturers and cadets in exploiting and using weapons and technical equipment in a good, sustainable, safe and economical manner, making contribution to the quality improvement of education, training and scientific research in the Academy.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN VAN CONG, Head of Technical Department