For years, Brigade 242 of Military Region 3 has consistently united and strived for the excellent accomplishment of all assigned tasks, especially training and combat readiness to firmly safeguard the Northeastern islands of the Fatherland. The Brigade has garnered trust, recognition, high appreciation, and numerous awards from the Military Region and the Ministry of National Defence. To that end, in line with intensifying all working aspects,  the Brigade has placed immense emphasis on legal dissemination and education, strict discipline management and maintenance which is regarded as the breakthrough in enhancing the synergy of the Units. In actuality, despite the vast operational areas, both on land and at sea, uneven awareness of service members, the complicated occurrences of social evils, etc., the cadres and soldiers of the Brigade have consistently heightened their sense of responsibility, self-discipline, and strict compliance with the State’s laws and the military regulations to significantly contribute to the building of an all-strong, “exemplary and typical” units and constant readiness to accept and accomplish all assigned tasks. This is the cornerstone for the Brigade’s Party committees and commanders to lead, direct, and make a breakthrough in legal dissemination and education, discipline management and maintenance through multiple creative and practical forms and methods.

Leaders of MR3 meet and encourage new recruits

First and foremost, the Brigade’s Party committees and commanders attach importance to leading and directing the strengthening of the roles and responsibilities of party committees and cadres at all levels toward this pivotal work. Accordingly, the Brigade’s agencies and units constantly grasp all resolutions, directives, documents, and instructions of higher echelons on legal dissemination and education, the building of regularity and discipline management and maintenance. The focus is on Directive No. 130-CT/ĐU issued on July 1^st, 2021 by the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Military Region 3 on intensifying the leadership of party committees in the strict compliance of the military discipline and the State’s laws within the Military Region’s armed forces; Plan No. 423/KH-CT issued on May 10^th, 2021 by the Political Department of Military Region 3 on strengthening legal dissemination and education to improve legal awareness for the youth in the Military Region in the 2021-2025 period, etc. From the Brigade’s Party Committee to party cells, it is necessary to adopt specialised resolutions to lead the strict compliance with military discipline and the State’s laws as well as determine the contents, targets, and measures for implementation. Responsibilities are allocated to committee members and presiding cadres to guide, direct and organise serious implementation in accordance with duties and tasks. In the periodical resolutions and conclusion of party committee levels and organisations, the focus is placed on the actual evaluation of observing laws and discipline performed by cadres and soldiers in the units; pointing out the inadequacies and their causes; and simultaneously, formulating guidelines and solutions. Therefore, political commissars and commanders at all levels must concretise this task into programmes and plans for consistent implementation within the Brigade. During the implementation process, the agencies and units must concentrate on handling the weaknesses and complicated issues in legal dissemination and education, discipline management and maintenance, especially in dispersed units, at checkpoints, posts, and battalions on islands and remote areas, etc. Periodical evaluation of leadership and direction must be conducted to promptly supplement and adjust the contents, forms, and methods that match the evolving situations, tasks, and awareness of all service members, thereby improving self-awareness of training and compliance with the State’s laws and military discipline for cadres, and soldiers.

To fit the conditions of dispersed troops and the awareness of each subject as well as to promote attractiveness and persuasion and surmount the rigidity of legal dissemination and education, the Party Committee and commanders of the Brigade must direct their agencies and units to actively renovate the contents, programmes, forms, and methods of implementation. The Brigade attaches importance to cementing, fostering, and enhancing political zeal, qualifications, competencies, methods, and responsibilities for propagators and law reporters. Simultaneously, units are directed to accomplish all contents and programmes for legal dissemination and education as stipulated. On the foundation of the actual situation, agencies and units must concentrate on disseminating and educating laws and legal documents in regard to military and national defence; directives, instructions, and regulations of higher echelons in the building of regularity, management, compliance with laws, and self-discipline; direct the compilation of “Handbook about building a model unit” with specific contents and targets in performing several rules, regulations, etc. Every month, based on the disciplinary violations within the entire Army and the Military Region, the Brigade directs its agencies and units to promptly propagate, conduct after-action reviews, and orient ideologies to form a seismic shift in awareness and actions as well as heighten preventive awareness for all service members.

Acitivities in Ho Chi Minh Room on days off

Additionally, the Brigade commanders place great emphasis on enhancing the quality and effectiveness of general training for cadres and soldiers so that they can master the legal documents, decrees, and circulars of the State and the Ministry of Natioal Defence; the directives, resolutions, and instructions of the Military Region and the Brigade on the building regularity, management, and self-discipline to ensure absolute safety in the units. In-depth political meetings at all levels are held to formulate measures for education, management, compliance with laws and discipline, and absolute safety. It is necessary to combine dissemination and propagation in political news briefing sessions, briefings, and meetings at all levels. Coordination with reporters from the Military Prosecution, Court, and Criminal Investigation of the Military Region has been made to propagate and introduce specialised topics regarding compliance with the discipline and law both within and outside the Army so that cadres and soldiers, especially new recruits can raise their awareness of the strict adherence to the State’s laws and military discipline. It is crucial to effectively bring into play cultural institutions and direct all platoons and companies to establish Legal libraries for effective research and understanding of laws. At the same time, agencies and units maintain and bring into play the effectiveness of Political, Cultural and Spiritual Days at the grassroots levels, Legal Days, and various models such as "One law a week," "Psychological and legal counselling teams," "Youth unions have no cadres or members violating the Law or discipline", etc. to promote legal education and maintain discipline among military personnel. The Brigade must closely combine education and abidance by laws with accelerating the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and manners, the implementation of the Determined-to-Win Emulation movement, Regulations on democracy and campaigns in the current context. As a result, this effort has will fostered high unity of ideology, awareness, and behaviours, and equiped all military members with disciplined lifestyles, cultural habits, and strict adherence to the State’s laws, military discipline, and unit regulations.

Real and sustainable effectiveness of legal dissemination and education with high unity of awareness and actions is only achieved when closely integrated with the building of regulations, discipline maintenance and management. Therefore, the Brigade's Party Committee and commanders lead and direct the agencies and units to review and amend regulations in accordance with the requirements of training; strictly maintain discipline and regular regimes such as duty, patrol, other daily and weekly regimes, meeting, etc. to effectively maintain and perform “Three-essence and five-no”, “Three breakthroughs” and the model entitled “Four-no unit with typical individuals”. For coherent implementation, the Brigade steps up training its cadres, especially presiding cadres in the methods of managing, maintaining, and addressing violations of laws and discipline in agencies and units; demonstrate thoroughness to soldiers and set an example in training, strict adherence to discipline, and the building of regularity. Concurrently, attention is paid to issuing the Plan to supervise compliance with the State’s laws and military regulations, the implementation of the regimes and responsibilities of commanders, and debit situation of all service members; formulating the Regulations on supervising the implementation of orderly routines and compliance with the State’s laws and military regulations. Accordingly, the Brigade establishes an Organisational committee, while agencies, battalions, and companies must found groups to evaluate weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual performance to lay a foundation for assessment during the Determined-to-Win Emulation movement and in reviewing the performance of party organisations, commanders, and individuals. As a result, the Brigade has promptly detected and prevented violations and corrected the service members’ actions to foster self-awareness of abiding by laws, discipline, and the regulations of the unit.  When managing military personnel, all levels of party committees and commanders regularly check and keep abreast of the situation of soldiers, especially on days off, off-duty hours, and while on missions outside the barracks. Emphasis is placed on enhancing the effectiveness of monitoring the thoughts and relationships of military personnel, particularly those in difficulty or showing unusual signs in their study, work, and daily life. There is a significant role of soldiers conducting mass mobilisation in maintaining democratic dialogues at all levels. Coordination with local authorities, families, and units to keep track of the evolving thoughts and attitudes of military personnel and promptly handle any unusual manifestations without being passive and surprised. Inspection and supervision work must be intensified to promptly detect disciplinary violations and social evils and fully address them.

With multiple coherent and appropriate measures, since 2018, there has been a remarkable and progressive shift in the compliance with military discipline and state laws by cadres and soldiers; no severe disciplinary violation has been found and the Brigade has ensured absolute safety in all aspects. This is an essential foundation and a source of encouragement and motivation for the cadres and soldiers of Brigade 242 to heighten their spirit of solidarity, surmount all difficulties, and make every endeavour to accomplish all assigned tasks. This contributes to the building of a transparent, strong, and typical Party Committee and an all-strong, “exemplary and typical” Unit to celebrate the 55^th Traditional Day (September 18^th, 1969 - September 18^th, 2024).

Senior Colonel PHAM VAN DUONG, Political Commissar of Brigade 242