In 2019, the Military’s logistics work continued to achieve positive results and provided timely logistics support for the routine and irregular missions. Those outcomes have laid an important foundation for the entire Military to keep accelerating a reform and creating a comprehensive, solid transformation in its logistics work to meet the requirements for the military-defence tasks.

Maj. Gen. Tran Duy Giang addressing the Conference to review the Military’s logistics work in 2019

Under the leadership and direction by the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND), with efforts made by the whole Military, in the past year, the military logistics work continued to be renewed and gain significant accomplishments. Notably, the goals and targets for the logistics work were all fulfilled and exceeded. The quality of logistics support continued to be improved to satisfy the requirements for training, combat readiness, and unexpected missions in a sufficient, timely manner. The Military Logistics Branch (MLB) well drew up, allocated, managed, and used the budget under the new financial management mechanism, while strictly adhering to the guidelines on renewing the method of creating logistics resources. Offices and units actively exploited resources, proactively prevented and combated epidemics, maintained agricultural production, and stabilised their troops’ life. Logistics offices at all levels were consolidated, adjusted, and made compact, strong, and uniform. They stepped up administrative reform and further applied information technology to managing, commanding, and operating the logistics work. International integration and defence diplomacy in the logistics field were expanded with good results.

However, there were several weaknesses in the logistics work. Some offices and units have yet to stringently maintain the MLB’s regulations. The staff work for changing the method of ensuring logistics materials and creating logistics resources has yet to meet the task requirements. The value of farm produce was low. The work of managing and looking after troops’ health in a number of units has yet to be close or effective.

In 2020, the situation around the world and in the region will continue to be complex and unpredictable. The military-defence work and the military build-up will witness new developments. This year plays a decisive role in accomplishing the targets and goals set by the Resolutions of the 12^th National Party Congress and the 10^th Military Party Congress. The entire Military will perform many important tasks. Thus, the demand for logistics support will be much greater, particularly for combat readiness to defend the Homeland’s sea, island, and border sovereignty. Meanwhile, the budget will be limited. Natural disaster and epidemics will be unpredictable. Against that backdrop, the whole Military and especially the MLB should accelerate a reform and effectuate a comprehensive change in the logistics work, with a focus on the following.

First, proactively giving advice to the CMC, MND, and units’ party committees and commands on enhancing leadership and direction over the logistics work. The MLB and particularly departments and offices within the General Department of Logistics (GDL) should actively advise commanders and leaders at all levels on the military logistics work. Importance should be attached to proposing measures for renewing the logistics work and improving its quality to satisfy the requirements set by the military build-up, national defence consolidation, and Homeland defence in the new situation. A focus should be placed on setting the programs and goals for the logistics work in the period of 2020-2025, formulating and executing the logistics projects in line with the plans to implement the National Defence Law of 2018, Vietnam’s Military Strategy, and Vietnam’s National Defence Strategy. Due attention should be paid to recommending the MND to ask the Government to issue a new decree in place of the Government’s Decree 70/2015/NĐ-CP, dated September 1^st 2015, on “stipulating and guiding the execution of several articles in the Law on Health Insurance for the People’s Army, People’s Public Security, and persons doing cipher work” and the Government’s Decree 76/2016/NĐ-CP, dated July 1^st 2016, on “stipulating logistics materials for active soldiers and national defence workers and employees.” Additionally, the MLB should closely cooperate with competent offices in building and completing the projects/plans for realising the CMC’s resolutions and the MND’s decisions on the MLB’s organisational structure and equipment towards 2025.

Second, proactively making logistics preparation and opportunely providing logistics support for combat readiness and unscheduled missions. Logistics offices at all levels should actively review and adjust the logistics support plans for combat readiness in accordance with the situation’s developments, particularly the Determination A and the Plans for protecting the all-level party congresses and military diplomacy activities when Vietnam assumes the ASEAN 2020 Chairmanship. Significance should be attached to ensuring and adjusting reserve logistics materials and equipment for combat readiness under the Directive 15/CT-TM, dated December 3^rd 2018, by Chief of the General Staff, executing the plans for coordination between logistics units at strategic level and logistics units of the Navy and the coastal, marine forces so as to ensure uniformed command and provide logistics support in the event, and maintaining the regulations on combat readiness. Besides, it is necessary to synchronously provide units with logistics equipment and materials for combat readiness and field training, increase logistics support training and exercises, and improve all-level logistics offices and units’ manoeuvrability and logistics capacity.

The logistics sector within offices and units should proactively help their commands to give advice to local authorities and cooperate with local sectors and offices in further combining economic development with national defence and vice versa in order to enhance the logistics potential and posture within the defensive zones. Competent offices of the GDL should direct the provision of logistics support for the Military’s forces taking part in socio-economic development, national defence consolidation, and the UN peacekeeping missions.

Third, synchronously adopting measures for raising the quality of routine logistics support. In 2020, logistics offices at all levels should give priority to completing the logistics goals and targets set by the Action Plans for the Resolution of the 10^th Military Party Congress and the road map for the Resolution 623-NQ/QUTW. To do so, greater importance should be attached to ensuring troops’ meal and uniform. The Department of Military Supplies should study, develop, and release the directing and guiding documents on the ration of military supplies for specialised, newly-founded forces and the rearrangement of the messes which have stopped being privatising under the MND’s direction. Due regard should be paid to supplementing and synchronously providing equipment for mess halls and field logistics services, particularly those on the islands and coast, and ensuring sufficient military uniform for all troops. Units should actively apply scientific and technical advances and new technologies to producing organic vegetables, step up animal husbandry, and expand the area of short-duration fruit cultivation in order to ensure troops’ daily rations. At the same time, consideration should be given to conforming to the regulations on construction of concentrated agricultural production zones, closely managing and clearly budgeting the price of farm produce and including it in troops’ meals.

The Military Medicine Sector should raise the quality of managing, looking after, and protecting troops’ health right at grass-roots level, with emphasis placed on epidemic prevention and control and the quality of medical treatment at all levels. It is important to accelerate the implementation of the Project on “planning the system of military hospitals and infirmaries” and the Project on “making investments in equipment, applying information technology to enhancing the military medicine work and the quality of medical examination and treatment at military hospitals, and gradually modernising the Military Medicine Sector in the period of 2018-2020,” and to foster coordination between offices, units, and forces in providing medical examination and treatment for troops and people on the Truong Sa Archipelago and the DK1 Platform. Also, it is essential to deal with the issues on troops’ health insurance and implement the financial autonomy mechanism at military hospitals.

Units should continue speeding up basic construction in a focalised fashion; however, priority should be given to newly-established, full-strength units and the forces in charge of protecting the sea, island, and border sovereignty under the plan approved by the MND. Logistics offices at all levels should review and complete the master plans for barracks site, well maintain the regulations on basic construction, closely manage and supervise the progress rate and quality of construction, and fight against wastefulness. Units should promote internal resources, proactively repair and upgrade the existing facilities, and restrict the building of new facilities. A focus should be placed on completing the construction of water supply system; by the end of 2020, 100% of barracks could access clean water while the system of internal roads and electricity network must basically meet the demand of the whole Military.

The Petroleum Sector and units should grasp the market situation, proactively develop the plan for oil supplies, and sufficiently, opportunely provide petroleum for the tasks in the priority order. Offices and units should publicise the petroleum quotas for their sectors and affiliates, closely inspect, supervise, and manage the use of oil, correctly use the quota on petroleum, and enhance the work of fire and explosion prevention and control. To fulfil the targets of transport, units should decentralise transport, partly privatise the work of transporting ordinary goods, strictly maintain the order for the technical work and implement the regulations on maintaining and repairing vehicles and vessels performing the routine and combat readiness tasks. The GDL should continue executing the projects on acquiring and replacing means of transport and equipment, repairing and upgrading the system of petroleum depots within the Military to meet the requirements set by short-term and long-term missions.

Fourth, continuing to make logistics offices and units at all levels compact, strong, and efficient. Emphasis should be placed on achieving a breakthrough in “consolidating the organisational structure, practically raising the quality of training, building the military logistics standard order, and meeting the Military’s task requirements in the new situation.” In the medium term, logistics offices and units at all levels should carefully prepare and well organise the all-level party congress, with a focus on formulating political reports, action programs, and personnel plans for new party committees. After the party congresses, they should proactively develop plans on fulfilling the logistics goals and targets in line with the logistics work of 2020 in order to quickly translate resolutions of the all-level party congresses into life. Units should continue renewing the method of ensuring logistics materials in accordance with the new financial management mechanism within the Military, with priority given to dencentralising the logistics work and observing laws and regulations on acquisition and bidding. Grounded on the allocated budget, logistics offices at all levels should closely cooperate with financial offices in giving advice to party committees and commands on decentralising financial management in accordance with the particularities of their stationed areas and the regulations on financial management. Specialised departments should actively study and complete the system of technical criteria and material-technical norms for defence products as the basis for managing, supervising, and controlling acquisition, bidding, and logistics support.

The MLB should continue renewing the content and form of logistics training, with importance attached to enhancing the capability in logistics support according to combat projects, plans, and situations for defending the Homeland, providing training courses for the military medicine forces to reinforce the Navy at sea and on islands, and training the Team taking part in the International Army Games 2020 held by the Russian Federation. The GDL should focus on amending the Regulations on the logistics work and the Working Regulations for Logistics Sectors in line with the system of Combat Regulations within the Vietnam People’s Army. Due regard should be paid to applying science, information technology, and achievements in the 4^th industrial revolution to step by step building an e-Government within the MLB. Moreover, it is necessary to protect the environment, minimise and gradually avoid the use of single-use plastic products in logistics support and daily life.

In addition, the MLB should elaborately prepare and well organise the 5^th Conference to review the 5-year implementation of the Emulation Movement entitled “the MLB follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” and other movements and campaigns relating to the logistics work. Grounded on the review of those movements and campaigns, it is important to continue stepping up the Determination to Win Emulation Movement within the MLB as the basis for encouraging the synergy of all forces to fulfil all logistics plans, targets, and missions in 2020 and contribute to accomplishing the military-defence tasks within the entire Military.

Maj. Gen. Tran Duy Giang, Director of the GDL