The studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle under the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW within the Naval Logistics Branch has made a positive change in cadres and soldiers’ awareness and action, thereby contributing to providing the adequate logistics support for the Navy’s tasks.

To make the work of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle effective, the Party Committee and Command of the Navy’s Logistics Department have always paid due attention to directing organizations and staff members to improve their morality, lifestyle, and responsibility for work. At the same time, due regard has been paid to building exemplary models and collectives in the performance of political task and emulation movements, considering this as a focus of the party organizations, commands, and mass organizations’ leadership and task implementation. Accordingly, logistics offices at all levels within the Navy have counselled units’ party committees and commands to adopt various measures to raise the effectiveness of logistics support and heighten their staff’s responsibility.

Captain Dao Ngoc Quy inspecting the Naval Logistics Branch’s training aids

At the beginning of each year, the Department’s Party Committee and Command direct offices and units to supplement the targets and criteria for the implementation of the Directive 05, while asking cadres, party members and the masses to write the commitment to studying and following Uncle Ho’s example as well as set up the specific contents and measures. Party committees, commands, commissars and political offices have stepped up the work of disseminating and studying special topics related to the Directive 05. Emphasis has been placed on Uncle Ho’s ideology, ethics, lifestyle and activities according to each special topic in line with the Resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution on the Party building and rectification as well as the central tasks of the Navy, Department and units, particularly the work of logistics support for units and forces operating at sea and on islands. In the process, offices and units have always renewed the forms and methods, with a focus on major events of the Party, State, Military, Navy and units. Moreover, party committees and commands at all levels have enhanced the Campaign entitled “promote tradition, devote talent, deserve to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and the movement entitled “Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” with practical daily deeds of each cadre and soldier. At the same time, they have managed to improve staff members’ political zeal, ethics, lifestyle, professional competence, working method, and responsibility. As a result, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle have made positive transformations in each person’s awareness and action and encouraged cadres and soldiers to be active in study and self-improvement, better perform their task, preserve and promote the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers - Naval Soldiers”.

Following Uncle Ho’s instructions that “logistics support is as important as the task of directly fighting the enemy on the battlefield; it is clear to see that when being provided with sufficient weapons and supplies, our soldiers would win victory over the enemy”, the Naval Logistics Branch has always provided sufficient logistics support for the combat readiness task and the forces in charge of Truong Sa Islands and DK1 Platform. As the Navy’s units are stationed in a large area at sea and on islands, the Department has directed units to formulate the logistics support projects for the situations and vessels in the shortest time. It has required units to promote the training work and improve the capability in logistics support at sea and units in complex weather conditions, and particularly provide logistics support for many vessels simultaneously. Units have been asked to carry out the logistics work comprehensively, particularly for the forces performing the task at sea and taking part in exercises and search and rescue. At the same time, to provide logistics support for Truong Sa Islands and DK1 Platform, the Department has improved the quality of meals for troops, effectively conducted the work of crop and animal husbandry, and installed the new system of vegetable planting on the islands. Consequently, its capabilities in logistics organization, command, and coordination with other forces and logistics support for combat readiness have been unceasingly raised.

Imbued with Uncle Ho’s teachings “military units must strive to farm to be partly self-sufficient and reduce the people’s burden”, the Naval Logistics Branch has promoted self-reliance in logistics support for both regular and contingency tasks. The whole Branch has always encouraged the movement entitled “Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” and completed the mode of logistics support in a focalized, standard manner. Focuses have been placed on rearranging and reorganizing military medical units properly, raising the capability in providing petroleum and receiving supplies at units, ensuring sufficient entitlements opportunely for troops’ daily life. The ordnance sector has set up a breakthrough in “building units good at feeding troops and managing military ordnance” and brought into play the food processing stations to provide fresh food and closely manage prices. The Department’s Party Committee and Command have directed units to actively renew the method of service and attach importance to making the menu compact, light and nutritious enough for troops on vessels and submarines; to proactively carry out the work of crop and animal husbandry to create the on-spot resources of food and improve troops’ daily meal. The military medical sector has actively conducted the Project on “reorganizing and rearranging naval medical units in the 2016-2020 period and beyond”, stepped up the building of “5-good medical units”, and raised the quality of first aid and treatment in a timely and effective fashion, particularly on Truong Sa Islands and at DK1 Platform. It has frequently grasped the information about epidemics in the stationed areas, well performed the work of epidemic prevention, environment hygiene and food safety, and proactively taken measures to prevent epidemics from occurring. As a result, the rate of fit troops within the whole Navy has always been above 98%. The petroleum sector has set up a breakthrough in managing and using petroleum safely, economically, effectively, and proactively created the resources of petroleum to provide sufficiently and opportunely for the tasks, particularly for combat readiness, training, exercises, and military diplomacy. Units have frequently practised using the equipment for preventing and combating fire and explosion, particularly the new one. The barracks sector has focused on building units’ barracks in a standard, basic, long-term manner and stepped up the movement entitled “building standard, green, clean, scenic barracks”. At the same time, it has proactively implemented the projects, ensured the quality and progress of constructions, reviewed the demands for basic construction from the defence budget, effectively managed and used public houses to make cadres keep their mind on their work. It has also concentrated on building standard, green, clean, scenic barracks and encouraged cadres and soldiers within the whole Navy to actively plant trees of all types, particularly on Truong Sa Islands. The transport sector has well maintained the plan to opportunely, safely transport personnel, weapons, and materials for units’ tasks within the entire Navy.

Grasping Uncle Ho’s instruction that “you should ensure that every single rice bowl, coin, round of ammunition, tablet and inch of cloth must be delivered straight to soldiers”, the Department’s Party Committee and Command have focused on managing and making the Logistics Branch strong and capable of giving sound advice. To do so, the Department has always closely managed the situation, strictly maintained the working regulations, raised the quality of statistic, and managed facilities and logistics budget. It has frequently carried out the work of inspection and opportunely dealt with weaknesses in the management of facilities and logistics budget; strictly maintained openness and democracy in use and management; decentralized the exploitation of logistics resources at grass-roots level units. It has also taken measures to manage and economically use petroleum, electricity, water, and logistic budget. At the same time, it has promoted the training courses to improve staff members’ professional competence; organized the contests of military infirmaries and treatment teams at region, regiment, and brigade levels, standard, green, clean, scenic barracks, initiatives in training models and equipment and measures for the logistics work; taken part in the contests of ordnance committee heads at region, regiment, and brigade levels. It has promoted standardization and reform in the logistics work and stringently maintained the movement entitled “Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings”, thereby giving an impetus to cadres and soldiers’ successful fulfillment of all assigned tasks.

Captain Dao Ngoc Quy

Commissar of the Navy’s Logistics Department