In 2020, in spite of being profoundly impacted by natural disasters and epidemics, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, with the entire Military’s political resolve and proactiveness, the military logistics work continued to achieve comprehensive good results greatly contributing to effectively executing the Resolution of the 10^th Military Party Congress and the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 623-NQ/QUTW, dated October 29^th, 2012 on “the military logistics work towards 2020 and beyond.” The Military Logistics Branch grasped its task requirements, gave sound advice and direction, and provided sufficient, timely logistics support for the whole Military’s successful performance of all assigned missions. The organisational structure of logistics offices and units at all level continued to be consolidated in a compact, strong, effective, uniformed manner. The quality of logistics support was raised. Troops’ life was maintained and stabilised. It should be noted that the Branch promoted its core role in the fight against COVID-19 under the direction from the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence. Besides, it proactively carried out the logistics work for search and rescue as well as natural disaster and environmental incident prevention and mitigation, which was highly appreciated by the Party, the State, and the people.

A conference to introduce the task of 2021

In 2021, there will be many significant events of our country; it is also the first year when we realise resolutions of all-level party congresses. The military build-up and Homeland protection task will have new developments that necessitate the logistics work being renewed and improved to meet the requirements. The country’s economic growth will be still stable but faces a lot of difficulties and challenges, particularly climate change, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Against that backdrop, the Military Logistics Branch should grasp and seriously execute resolutions and directives by the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence and continue playing a core role in counselling and conducting the logistics work comprehensively, with a focus on the following.

First, give sound advice to the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and all-level party committees and commands on the logistics work. Logistics offices at all levels should grasp resolutions and directives by higher echelons to give advice on the logistics work and meet requirements set by the military-defence task and the Homeland protection in the new situation. Emphasis should be placed on consolidating the logistics force’s organisational structure properly at all levels, proposing measures to raise the quality of logistics support, building the logistics potential and posture at strategic and campaign levels, and enhancing the effectiveness of defensive zone logistics, particularly in the strategic, key areas. In the medium term, it is important to quickly develop and implement action plans and programmes for logistics goals and targets set by the Resolutions of the 11^th Military Party Congress and all-level party congresses. Moreover, it is essential to combine the performance of logistics missions in 2021 with action plans and programmes as the basis for successfully fulfilling the logistics task in the period of 2021-2025.

Second, ensure logistics support for combat readiness and contingency missions. All-level logistics offices and units should frequently grasp the situation, proactively complete the system of documents on logistics support for combat, natural disaster prevention and control, and search and rescue. Significance should be attached to practising the preset projects in order to increase offices and units’ manoeuvre and logistics capacity. Priority should be given to provide sufficient, timely logistics support for combat readiness, the defence of national border, seas and islands, and the protection of the 13^th National Party Congress and the elections of deputies to the 15^th National Assembly and all-level people’s councils for the 2021-2026 tenure. Strictly maintaining the reserves of logistics materials and equipment for combat readiness at all levels, proactively preparing personnel, means and materials, bringing into play good results in 2020, all-level logistics offices should continue drastically taking measures for COVID-19 and natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, and other contingency missions.

Third, improve the quality of regular logistics support. To that end, offices and units’ party committees and commands should focus their leadership and direction on this work and promote the combined strength of all forces in the process. Due attention should be paid to enhancing the quality of ration and uniform for troops. Units should exploit and closely manage resources for ration, step up crop and animal husbandry to raise the quality of meals for troops, and continue providing standard equipment and facilities for messes under plans. Besides, consideration should be given to building and multiplying models of efficient, environmentally-friendly crop and animal husbandry, diversifying crops and livestock, and applying science and technology to boosting productivity and achieving the targets of agricultural production in 2021.

Furthermore, great value should be attached to carefully preparing personnel, equipment, and medicine for preventing and combating the COVID-19 pandemic and other epidemics, managing and protecting troops’ health. Hospitals across the Military should enhance the financial autonomy mechanism and actively apply new technologies and techniques to raising the quality of medical examination and treatment. The Department of Military Medicine should proactively make recommendations on modernising several military medicine forces in line with the roadmap for the modernisation of the Military. At the same time, due attention should be paid to fostering scientific research and training cooperation with other countries’ military medicine forces and deploying our military medicine units to take part in the United Nations’ humanitarian relief and peacekeeping operations.

Adhering to higher echelons’ direction, units should review and complete their master plan on barracks, and accelerate construction projects under the approved plans for capital construction in the period of 2021-2025 and in 2021.  Greater importance should be attached to managing the quality of construction, handling debts, raising the quality of investment, and combating wastefulness. Due attention should be paid to ensuring the safety of construction, using environmentally-friendly materials, and responding to climate change, land slide, and sea level rise. In the medium term, emphasis should be placed on upgrading constructions in accordance with the planning work, building essential works for troops’ daily life, and proposing measures to protecting barracks from being threatened by natural disasters and land slides. At the same time, it is important to closely manage and effectively use national defence land, and hand over military dormitories to localities. In addition, fuels for missions should be sufficiently, opportunely provided and economically, closely used. The project to construct PK85 (special fuel produced by the Binh Son oil refinery plant for national defence) should be accelerated. It is necessary to work with transportation enterprises to improve the transportation capacity for missions and maintain the safety.

Fourth, focus on making the Logistics Branch comprehensively strong and building comprehensively strong, “exemplary, typical” logistics offices and units at all levels. To meet the task requirements in the new situation, all-level logistics offices and units should grasp higher echelons’ directions, proactively advise party committees and commands on consolidating the organisational structure of the Logistics Branch in line with the Military’s organisation plan towards 2021, and execute the Project on “adjusting the planning of the system of logistics depots across the Military in the period of 2020-2025 and towards 2030.” It is vital to keep setting up and perfecting the system of logistics targets for each mission and unit as well as economic and technical standards for logistics products in accordance with the new economic management mechanism. Besides, due attention should be paid to renewing and making logistics equipment and materials relevant to weapons and equipment of the entire Military, particularly the forces which will move straight to modernity, formulating the strategy for logistics equipment in the period of 2021-2025, with orientation towards 2030, and implementing the Projects, namely “enhancing the capacity of the military preventive medicine system” and “renewing means of water transportation within the Military” to meet the requirements set by the military build-up in the new situation.

Significance should be attached to renewing the contents and forms of logistics training and exercises in a practical, effective fashion. Due regard should be paid to preparing and organising Army-wide logistics training courses and logistics exercises for strategic combat on the battlefield of the Central Coast Region, and well implementing the breakthrough in military standard order building and administrative reform. At the same time, it is necessary to develop logistics theories, apply achievements of the 4^th industrial revolution to the building of the e-government within the Logistics Branch, ensure cyber security, closely manage funding and logistics facilities, practise thrift, and combat wastefulness. Furthermore, it is essential to enhance the emulation movement titled “the Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teaching” in tandem with the Determination to Win Emulation Movement and others to contribute to building comprehensively strong, “exemplary, typical” units.

Fifth, continue promoting international cooperation in logistics with armies of ASEAN member states and traditional friends. Cooperation in scientific research and training with military medicine forces of other countries around the world, with a focus on ASEAN member states and traditional friends should be maintained. Personnel and equipment should be prepared to deploy the Military Medicine Team to take part in humanitarian relief under ASEAN agreements. Due attention should be paid to training and dispatching the Level 2 Field Hospital No.4 and the Level 1 Field Hospital under the Engineer Team to the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, and participating in the international Army Games of 2021 and the border defence friendship exchange programmes with China, Laos, and Cambodia.

Synchronously adopting the above-mentioned measures, the Military Logistics Branch will be determined to achieve its goals and targets to make significant contributions to the whole Military’s successful performance of the military-defence task in 2021.

Lt. Gen. TRAN DUY GIANG, Director of the General Department of Military Logistics