Thoroughly acknowledging President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings, “Emulation is patriotic, a patriot must emulate”, right from the beginning, predecessor units of the Air Defense – Air Force Service spearheaded dynamic revolutionary movements in all fields and on all fronts; overcame all difficulties and fulfilled the assigned tasks. In the early days of asset management training, unit leaders focused on the political and ideological work to arouse patriotism, build confidence in the Party’s leadership and in the path chosen by the Party, Uncle Ho and our people; and encourage officers and soldiers managing new weapons and equipment. In the meanwhile, the units launched lots of emulation movements, namely, “The militia master new weapons”, “Make use of night study when day study is not sufficient”, “Training intensely regardless of any weather conditions”, with the aim of enhancing training quality, combat readiness and gradually mastering new weapons and equipment. Typically, only after a 5-month training course, Missile Soldiers mastered technical capabilities of modern weapons. On July 24^th 1965 witnessed the first winning battle when Missile Soldiers shot down one F-4C of the US Air Force, marking a significant breakthrough of the Air Defense – Air Force. Since then, the art of air-defense and air operations has developed dramatically. With the strategy of combined Air Force, Missile, Anti-air artillery, Radar, our force killed the enemy at all heights, overcame shortcomings and supported each other to improve combat efficiency.

During the battle, the Service Command properly assessed the situation of each revolutionary phase, the strategy to direct the units and launch appropriate emulation movements. Accordingly, the Artillery soldiers followed Heroic Martyr Nguyen Viet Xuan with the saying: “Aim straight at the enemy and shoot them down”; Radar soldiers with the slogan: “Deal with jamming to spot the enemy”; Missile and Air Force soldiers with the motto: “Unify, cooperate to gain collective achievements”, etc… The units introduced the goals, content and quota of the emulation movements to officers, soldiers with a focus on “Building, training and fighting well; killing enemies, protecting people and production; successfully accomplishing all assigned tasks” in association with “Building 4-good Party cell”, “Determined to Win Youth union”. The movements urged officers and soldiers to shoot down the enemy aircraft and raised the fighting spirit as well. Thanks to this, 4,181 enemy aircraft were destroyed by our military and people nationwide, 2,422 of which were shot down by the Service. In particular, in the late 1972 Air-defense Campaign, the Service shot down 53 out of 81 aircraft; 32 out of 34 B-52s, occupying 94.11%  of the total number of B-52s being destroyed. This played a decisive role in our historic victory of “Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu in the air”. With these achievements, the Service and 4 branches (Missiles, Air Force, Radar, Anti-air Artillery) plus various units and individuals were awarded the title “Heroes of the People’s Armed Forces” and many other noble prizes.

With regard to Party building, the “Determined to win” emulation movement aimed at improving the quality of the Party organizations and members. In resolutions and directions, the Service’s Party Committee demanded that ideological and political education should make officers and soldiers thoroughly aware of the Party’s military and national defense policy, mission of the Army and Service; build up revolutionary spirit, continuously enhance combat determination; feel proud, confident and not scared of sacrifice and hardships. Moreover, resolutions and directions by the Service’s Party Committee concentrated on proactively making party committees of all levels clean and strong; strengthening the role of mass organizations including Youth, Women and Labor Unions; and consolidating political bodies at all levels. A focus was placed on forming a pool of high-qualified officers; strengthening the work of protecting internal politics, solidarity and unity within the unit; effectively implementing the policies regarding military families and improving soldiers’ material and spiritual life.

Fully grasping Uncle Ho’s instructions, in the cause of defending the Homeland’s sky, the Party Committee and High Command of the Service keep on promoting the emulation movement, manage to successfully implement the tasks and build comprehensively strong units. First of all, the Service has effectively carried out the teaching of Marxist-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's ideology; thoroughly grasped and enforced the Resolution of the 12^th Party Congress, of the 10^th Party Congress of the Army, along with the resolutions of the Central Military Commission and the Party Committee of the Service. Each year, in order to make the movement effective, the Service identifies an emulation theme associated with its central political mission. For example, the 2017 theme “Efficiency, Strict practice, Safety and Determination to win” and the 2018 theme “Proactiveness, Creativeness, Efficiency, Strict practice, Safety and Determination to win” in line with the implementation of the Directive 05-CT/TW by the Politburo (12^th tenure) on studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle, the campaign “Promoting traditions, devoting talents, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” and other patriotic emulation movements. Furthermore, the Service launches many emulation movements such as: “The Youth union of the Air Defense – Air Force Service unify, pioneer, firmly defend the Homeland’s sky”, “Achieve more success, coordinate to win”, etc. Carrying out campaigns “The Army joins hands to build new-type rural area”, “The Army join hands to help the poor - no one left behind”, thousands of the Service’s officers and troops help build new countryside. In the campaign “For the sake of the community well-being”, the Service holds lots of humanitarian blood donations at units and schools; builds medical stations, carries out medical examination and grants medicine to people. In the movement “Gratitude”, “Remembering the source when drinking water” in tandem with the policy regarding military families, the Service raises funds for the poor, builds hundreds of houses of gratitude, donates thousands of gifts, protects people from floods; sends relief goods, and gives first aids to victims in distant islands, etc. These jobs have beautified the image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers - Elite Soldiers of the Air Defense – Air Force” in the people’s heart.

Conducting the mission of combat readiness, education and training, the Service launches a lot of movements such as: “Good training, strict practice, troop deployment to win”, “Maintain vigilance and combat readiness to firmly defend the Homeland’s sky”, “Avoid being surprised at any air attacks”; “Be good at teaching, studying and researching”, “Swift progress, high quality, absolute safety”, etc. The Service strictly follows the Defense Ministry’s Directive on combat readiness and combat alertness from the Service High Command to unit headquarters, actively grasping and accurately forecasting the situation in the air, at sea, opportunely supplementing and completing the plans, in cooperation with friendly units to protect the assigned objectives. Besides, it advises the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of Defense to determine key areas for air defense; to adjust and rearrange air-defense positions; to direct the air defense work and the people’s air defense work; to renovate the training methods and raise the combat readiness capability of the Air Defense – Air Force. Training and education at schools are implemented in accordance with programs; graduates satisfy requirements and missions. Many cadets of the Service schools participate in subjects of Olympic contests such as: mechanics, mathematics, physics, Marxist-Leninist theories, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology… and gain high results. There has been much progress in the work of discipline training and building of a regular army.

In view of technical work, the Service combines the emulation movement with the campaign “Managing, exploiting, and using technical weapons and equipment properly, durably, safely and economically, and traffic safety”, wage some practical ones like: “Promoting innovation, improving technology”, “Maintaining, using weapons durably, safely, economically”, “Youth’s garage”, “Model warehouse, “Youth self-managed technical day”, etc. As a result, the technical specifications of military equipment, airplanes, guns, anti-aircraft artilleries have reached and exceeded the target of 1.6% - 2%, ensuring combat readiness, training, drill and avoiding loss, damage and degradation. In scientific research, the Service has hundreds of theses on innovation, digitization, prolonged use of weapons and equipment; compiles textbooks and materials for the exploitation and use of weapons.

With regard to logistics, the Service encourages officers and soldiers to well perform the emulation movement “The Military Logistics follow Uncle Ho’s teachings”, “One focus, three breakthroughs”, “Building a clean, green and regular camp”, “Good financial management unit”, “Building five-good medical units”, “Good kitchen, good management”, “Youth’s garden”, etc… In the meanwhile, it maintains strict regulations of logistics and proactively exploits sources from higher-level units, while promoting active, positive spirit in the logistical work. At present, the Service has more than 90% of units which achieve "Good kitchen, good management", "Five-good Military Medical Unit”; over 95% of its units gain “Good financial management unit” and have high-quality production line.

For the emulation movement to keep on achieving practical results and to build the revolutionary, regular, elite and modern Service, in the coming years, the Service should focus on some following important measures:

Firstly, enhancing leadership and raising the role and responsibility of  party committees, commanders, political commissars, emulation and reward councils, political organs and contingent of cadres at all levels in organizing the “Determined to win” emulation movement.

Secondly, strengthening propaganda and education, making soldiers deeply aware of the position and importance of the emulation and reward work and the “Determined to win” emulation movement; hence, successfully carrying out the emulation objectives and norms.

Thirdly, continuously renovating the content, form, method of the emulation movement in a realistic and effective way; resolutely overcoming deviation and addiction to achievement in emulation.

Fourthly, regularly fostering, replicating “good people did good deeds” examples; intensifying inspection, review, summary, experience gathering to help the emulation movement develop steadily.

Fifthly, ensuring close coordination among all levels, branches, forces and organizations in emulation activities, linking the emulation movement with the ones of different branches to yield the total strength with the aim of managing and firmly defending the Homeland’s sky.

Maj. Gen. Lam Quang Dai, Political Commissar of the Service