Thoroughly grasping the viewpoints and military-defence guidelines of the Party and the resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the Ministry of National Defence, especially Resolution No. 382-NQ/ĐUQSTW issued on November 29^th, 2007 by the Central Military Party Committee (currently the CMC) on leading technical work in the new situation. Over the past years, the whole Army has strengthened its unity, promoted collective intelligence, and heightened its spirit of self-reliance to produce positive and comprehensive changes in conducting technical work. This constitutes one of the pivotal factors that determine the progress of building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually modernised Army with priority given to several forces advancing to modernity in accordance with the Party’s guidelines. In fact, multiple outcomes have been gained.

In the forthcoming time, the global situation is likely to experience rapid and complicated changes with reference to the Fourth Industrial revolution, strategic competition among major powers, armed conflicts, etc. that impinge on numerous fields, especially national defence and security of each country. As for our country, the task of constructing the Army, reinforcing national defence, and safeguarding the Fatherland is undergoing a seismic shift. Particularly, the goal of building compact, lean, and strong Army will have been basically fulfilled by 2025; and concerning the building of a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modernised Army in 2030 according to the spirit of the 13^th National Party Congress, the whole Army will have possessed a large collection of high-tech weapons and equipment at the ready. Meanwhile, the Army must continue to utilise the existing weapons and equipment; most of which have degraded and been used for a long time. For this reason, the whole Army, other branches, and fields including technical work have been imposed weighty requirements and tasks. To satisfy the task requirements, the whole Army must uphold the spirit of solidarity and unity, heighten a sense of responsibility, strengthen leadership and direction, and comprehensively perform the technical work through drastic and synchronous measures.

First and foremost, stepping up innovation, enhancing the effectiveness of the leadership and direction of the Party committees and commands at all levels toward technical work. All agencies and units in the Army, particularly party committees, party cells, commanders, and commissars at all levels should continue to thoroughly grasp the Party's military-defence guidelines, and higher echelons’ resolutions and directives on technical work, thereby achieving a consensus on awareness and actions, especially the viewpoints on self-reliance. Through the results and experience after 15 years of implementing Resolution No. 382-NQ/ĐUQSTW, party committees and commands at all levels are required to firmly grasp the CMC’s directions, goals, viewpoints, tasks, and measures for technical work. Accordingly, it is necessary to step up a change in leading and directing technical work and concentrate on researching and proposing appropriate policies, tasks, and measures for implementation to attain the goals of building a modern Army. Simultaneously, other targets and measures in conducting the Resolution should be inspected and supplemented to ensure their feasibility in practice. To achieve high effectiveness, agencies, units, and local authorities should attach importance to making a breakthrough in new contents, key points, and issues, resolving to eliminate absentee leadership, conservative thoughts, and fear of hardships. Additionally, agencies, units, and local authorities should accelerate political and ideological education so that all cadres and soldiers can heighten their awareness of the importance of technical work to the task outcomes of units and the Army as well as the pros and cons in conducting technical work, thereby establishing motive and responsibility toward task implementation.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Le Huy Vinh addresses the first Military-wide biannual review conference on technical work of 2022

Secondly, strengthening leadership, and directing comprehensive implementation of technical work to ensure high-quality and synchronous weapons and equipment. Technical agencies at all levels must bring into play the role as the staff agencies in proactively keeping track of situations and advising party committees and commands on the methods of conducting technical work to satisfy the immediate and long-term task requirements. In the immediate future, focus should be put on amending and supplementing the Planning for using weapons and equipment until 2030 and the following years; improving and modernising weapons and equipment; repairing and storing weapons and equipment for long-term use; extending the service life of weapons and equipment, especially those are in regular use such as aircraft, radar, diving equipment of Special Forces; electronic warfare and information equipment.

It is imperative to continue the comprehensive implementation of technical work at each agency and unit, especially strictly perform the regime of preserving, repairing, and maintaining the technical coefficient of weapons and equipment as stipulated; in particular, priority should be given to ensuring weapons and equipment for training and combat readiness, protection of national sovereignty, and rescue. Importance should be attached to the planning of the technical warehouse system (KA-10) as well as the investment in facilities from storing conditions to mechanised equipment, fire safety equipment, etc. to ensure the safety and maintenance of the service life of equipment, especially next-gen and scarce weapons and equipment. It is also necessary to actively research and propose the building of new models of ammunition warehouses and explosive materials to ensure absolute safety in the processing of explosive ordnance disposal.

The research for building the Army’s system of repair facilities in accordance with Project 08-KT must be paid much attention to. In the implementation process, importance should be put on productive investment and the improvement of technical repair capability in factories, especially the investment in repair technology to repair long-term used weapons and technical equipment as well as manufacture specialised technical materials. Appropriate adjustment to the gradation of repair (including strategic, operational, and tactical levels) should be taken into consideration; meanwhile, the programme on manufacturing technical material should be also boosted to satisfy the demands for technical materials to cater for the repair of weapons and equipment in peacetime and when necessary.

Thirdly, concentrating on building strong technical agencies and units at all levels as the linchpin of technical work. Over the years, the building and consolidation of the structure of technical units as well as the contingent of technical cadres and personnel have been conducted on a regular basis, which produce positive shifts. However, due to the demanding requirements for technical work, especially the profound influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technical work is required to be better conducted. In particular, grasping Resolution No. 05-NQ/TW issued on January 17^th, 2022 by the Politburo (13^th tenure) and Resolution No. 230-NQ/QUTW of the CMC on leading the Vietnam People’s Army in the 2021-2030 period and the following years, the adjustment to the structure of the Army and Technical Branch is indispensable and imperative. Thus, the Branch is required to proactively advise the CMC, the Ministry of National Defence, and party committees to strengthen leadership and implement the building and consolidation of a “compact, lean, strong, and uniform” Technical Branch in strategic, operational, and tactical levels to fit the planning of the Army’s structure and the particularities of weapons and technical equipment.

Units must inspect and perfect the planning of building regular technical forces, and reserve forces as stipulated to ensure sufficient quantity, appropriate structure, and all-round quality, especially political zeal and the standardisation of qualifications and skills to satisfy the task requirements. During the implementation, it is necessary to combine planning with training, retraining, and arranging; intensify the planning, training, and developing of leading experts, technical cadres, and skilled technicians in key technical and technological areas to ensure technical work, especially high-tech weapons and equipment. Additionally, functional agencies must continue to research and advise the Ministry of National Defence to promulgate policies to magnetise high-quality human resources who are eligible to work in the Army.

Fourthly, stepping up research on developing science, technique, and military technology; supplementing and completing legal documents on technical work to meet the task requirements in the new situation. The Military Technical Branch, especially centres and institutes must closely coordinate with the functional agencies of the Ministry of National Defence to accelerate the development of science, technique, and military technology that matches the specificity of Vietnam; at the same time, the coordination with the State’s institutes should be intensified to cater for technical work. The focus is put on scientific and technological research and the application of scientific and technological advances to handling urgent demands in mastering, repairing, innovating, and modernising weapons and equipment, especially those that have been being purchased. It is necessary to apply new technology and materials to store weapons and equipment, design, and manufacture technical materials; readily receive and transfer technology to foreign partners to make a breakthrough in technical work. Additionally, the achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution should be applied to technical work and digital transformation in the Military Technical Branch.

Functional and technical agencies should actively review, research, and propose the building and perfection of the legal documents on leading, directing, commanding, and managing technical work to satisfy the requirements in the current situation. In the immediate future, the focus should be placed on formulating and issuing Regulations on technical work (amended); renovating technical work, and setting targets for technical assurance for each type of weapon and equipment. In the long run, it is necessary to perfect the methods of ensuring next-gen weapons and equipment that apply high technology; formulating the mechanism for coordination and mobilisation of social sources to ensure technical work and technical mobilisation in the market economy; developing mechanisms and regulations on international cooperation in the field of military engineering, etc.

Additionally, the Technical Branch should continue to bring into play its roles in accelerating the implementation of the Campaign entitled “Managing and using weapons and equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically and traffic safety” associated with performing Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW issued on May 18^th, 2021 by the Politburo on continuing to implement Directive No. 05-CT/TW issued on May 15^th, 2016 by the Politburo (12^th tenure) on “Promoting the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, ethics, and manners”, the Campaign of promoting traditions, devoting talents, deserving “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” title and the Determine to Win Emulation Movement to build momentum for enhancing the quality and effectiveness of technical work to satisfy the task requirements of constructing a modern Army and safeguarding the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Senior Lieutenant General, Dr. LE HUY VINH, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Minister of National Defence