President Ho Chi Minh ever said that “weapons represent our compatriots and soldiers’ sweat, tears, and blood; therefore, it is a must for treasuring, saving and properly using the weapons”. Studying and following his teachings, the Military Region 1’s Technical Branch has actively taken measures to raise the quality of technical work, meeting the task requirements.

Maj. Gen. Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Commander of the Military Region 1 inspecting the Centre for Quality Measurement Standards under the Military Region’s Technical Department

In recent years, the task of the Military Region 1’s armed forces has witnessed new developments which have imposed new requirements on the technical work, particularly the guarantee of materiel for forces’ combat readiness, training, exercises, and live firing. Together with advantages, the Military Region’s Technical Branch has been confronted with a lot of difficulties as weapons and technical equipment are diverse and under the management of various units and localities; most of them have been in use for ages; the demand for repair, maintenance, and upgradation is great while units in need of technical support are stationed in a large area; budgets for the technical work, materials, and spare parts are limited; technical personnel have yet to meet the task requirements. Fully aware of the advantages, difficulties, and assigned task, the Military Region’s Technical Branch has adopted various measures to well perform the technical work; among those measures, studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings has been seen as an important, routine, and long-term one.

In May 1969, in his letter to the Training Course intended for the Military’s senior and mid-level cadres, Uncle Ho wrote that “it is necessary to educate soldiers to well preserve materiel and save every single bullet and grain of rice”. Following Uncle Ho’s teachings, the Military Region’s Technical Branch has stepped up the work of education to raise the awareness and responsibility of cadres and soldiers, particularly the technical staff towards the management and exploitation of materiel. Focuses of the education work have been placed on introducing the importance of the technical work to the performance of units’ political task; the goals and requirements of the Military Region’s technical work in the new situation; valuable experiences and typical examples in the technical work in offices, units, and localities. To make the education work highly effective, the Party Committee and Command of the Military Region’s Technical Department have directed offices, units, and localities to actively renew the form and method of propagation and education, combine basic education with regular education, and introduction of the task with education of revolutionary tradition of the Military Region and its Technical Branch. Besides, the Department has directed units to intensify discipline management with emphasis placed on promoting the exemplary role of cadres and party members in the process. It has also asked units to accelerate the Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW in line with the Campaign entitled “managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically, and traffic safety” (also known as the Campaign 50), with great value attached to studying and following Uncle Ho’s teachings via specific deeds in accordance with the function and assigned tasks. Doing so has brought about a widespread, steady, comprehensive transformation in the technical staff’s services and built up their political zeal, resolve, creativity and self-reliance in the process.

To maintain, repair and extend the lifespan of materiel, the Technical Branch has speeded up the program on synchronizing weapons and equipment while investing in upgrading the system of depots, stations, and workshops. Grasping the Resolution 382-NQ/ĐUQSTW by the Central Military Commission on “leading the technical work in the new situation” and the Campaign 50, the Technical Department has proactively advised the Military Region’s Party Committee and Command on developing the action plans/programs and directing all-level party committees and commands  to strengthen their leadership over the technical work and particularly execute the projects on materiel innovation and synchronization to maintain the technical condition and combat readiness.

Following Uncle Ho’s strenuousness, proactiveness and self-reliance, the Branch has promoted internal resources, used the budget allocated by higher echelons, and mobilized the budgets of localities and units to upgrade the system of technical facilities at all levels. Consequently, the Branch has gradually consolidated, built, and upgraded the system of depots and artillery shelters at Military Region level and in divisions, provincial military offices, brigades, combat readiness regiments, and district-level military commands. Moreover, due regard has been paid to upgrading the system of stations and workshops, modernizing their machines and equipment, and making them capable of maintaining and repairing the existing materiel. Up to now, the Military Region has synchronized the majority of its materiel and fulfilled the goal of innovating and dieselizing military vehicles in its combat units. The operational and tactical-level repair facilities and the Military Region’s technical depots have been upgraded in accordance with the technical standards and the plans on force organization and defensive zones in each area. Most notably, the Military Region has upgraded and made the Workshop X79 capable of ensuring terminal technical support, repairing new-generation vehicles, and serving the missions.

To deal with a dearth of technical staff within the Military Region, imbalance in professions, particularly in border districts and remote, isolated units, and unequal craftsmanship, the Technical Branch has attached great importance to consolidating and building the technical force under the motto of “each person is good at one job and knowledgeable about other ones”. To that end, the Branch has cooperated with competent offices of the Military Region, units and localities in stepping up the planning and training of technical staff at all levels, with consideration given to developing a contingent of young technical cadres, workmen, and top technicians at the Military Region level and in grass-roots level units and remote, isolated localities. In recent years, the Branch has diversified forms of education and training, renewed the contents of technical training, and encouraged the organization of technical contests at all levels. Under the motto of “basics, practicality, thorough grasp, and relevance to units’ task”, yearly, the Branch reviews and correctly assesses weak and strong points of each technical staff member to formulate the training plan, thereby completely overcoming their weaknesses. Localities and units have strictly maintained the order for technical training, well organized refresher courses for technical staff, and fostered cooperation with technical facilities and technical vocational centres in the area in improving their cadres and employees’ professional competence. At the same time, they have encouraged its technical staff to follow Uncle Ho’s example and promoted the staff’s self-study and self-improvement via their daily work. Consequently, the Military Region’s technical staff’s professional competence has been raised. They are now capable of large-scale repair of automobiles and medium-scale repair of tanks and armoured vehicles while mastering the technical support for materiel and new-generation vehicles.

In addition, the Branch has strictly maintained the order for the technical work and stepped up the movement to promote technical initiatives and innovations. Over the past years, while enhancing the work of education to raise technical staff’s awareness of materiel management and maintenance, the Branch has stringently maintained the order for the technical work, especially enhanced the work of maintaining, repairing, and synchronizing materiel at each level, improved the quality of maintenance and repair at units, integrated technical support into the realization of goals and targets set by the Campaign 50, and ensured the technical conditions of materiel and vehicles for all situations.

To deal with difficulties in reality and quickly apply technological advancements to raising the quality and effectiveness of technical support, the Branch has attached greater importance to accelerating the movement to promote technical initiatives and innovations across the Military Region. To do so, the Branch has provided financial support for technical staff, promoted their core role, and used the results of researches and technical initiatives and innovations as a criterion for commendation and cadre appointment, thereby creating the ebullient emulation atmosphere among its staff members, particularly the young ones. Between 2013 and 2018, within the whole Military Region, 412 technical initiatives were applied to training and combat readiness and proved to be effective. Among those initiatives, 13 ones were acknowledged by the Ministry of National Defence; 26 ones were given the “Creative Youth” Award at the Ministerial level; 56 ones were presented the “Creative Youth” Award at the Military Region level.

The study and following Uncle Ho’s teachings within the Military Region 1’s Technical Branch has become an important impetus to improving the performance of technical work for the sake of the Military Region’s fulfilment of its assigned task. With those achievements, the Military Region’s Technical Department has been given many noble awards. In 2019, the Department was given the First-Class Fatherland Protection Order by the State. Also, those achievements have provided an important basis for the Military Region’s Technical Branch to continue successfully fulfilling the assigned task to celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of the Military Region’s Technical Department (May 15^th 1979 – May 15^th 2019).

Sr. Col. Nguyen Van Thai

Director of the Military Region 1’s Technical Department