Shifting the direction of an offensive is a common tactic employed by the enemy in combat to create breakthroughs on the battlefield, disrupt our defensive posture, and achieve operational and strategic objectives. In a (potential) war to defend the Fatherland, countering the enemy’s shift of offensive direction holds significant importance and requires thorough study both in theory and in practice.

Manoeuvring for targets during an exercise (photo: qdnd.vn)

Defensive operations in a (potential) war to defend the Fatherland would be conducted on the basis of defensive postures of provincial-level defence zones and military regions. These operations typically aim to hold key areas, regions, and targets, inflict heavy casualties and attrition on critical enemy forces, and ultimately repel enemy offensives as favourable conditions for the development of our strategic operations. Such operations are anticipated and partially prepared in peacetime in terms of operational plans, forces, and battlefield dispositions. These activities provide advantageous conditions for organising, preparing, and executing combat operations. During defensive operations, depending on the scale of the operation, our direct adversaries may include enemy infantry (mechanised infantry) divisions and brigades. They often possess superior weaponry and equipment, together with advanced reconnaissance technology, powerful firepower, high mobility, rapid adaptability, flexible manoeuvring capabilities, and extensive electronic and cyber warfare capabilities. As a result, the combat phase will be extremely intense. The enemy’s primary tactics involve fully exploiting their firepower advantages, launching frontal breakthrough attacks along key routes, combining flanking manoeuvres via land, airborne assaults, and deep strikes into the rear and flanks of our defensive forces. If their initial attacks fail or encounter resistance, they may leverage the rapid strike capability of tanks, armoured vehicles, attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), direct fire support from long-range weapon systems, and terrain conditions to shift the direction of their offensive. This aims to create the element of surprise, alter the balance of power, create breakthroughs on specific fronts, or open new attack directions to dismantle our defensive system.

Countering the enemy’s tactics of shifting offensive direction is of utmost importance to defeating their combat plan and will to fight. It ensures the stability of our defensive posture, firmly protects our key areas, and creates favourable conditions for the development of other combat operations, ultimately contributing to the success of our operation. This article presents several key issues related to countering the enemy’s shift of offensive direction in defensive operations in a (potential) war to protect the Fatherland, for the sake of discussion and exchange of perspectives.

First, constantly monitoring and evaluating battlefield situation, carefully, thoroughly making preparations for countering the enemy’s shift of offensive direction. This is particularly critical in dealing with enemy manoeuvres, as they hold the temporal and spatial initiatives, while also boasting high mobility and flexibility. As a result, combat situations can evolve unpredictably, sometimes beyond the initial expectations of our operation command. Furthermore, in previous offensive waves, the enemy may have already destroyed part of our defensive fortifications and obstacles, significantly impacting our defensive posture. Therefore, closely monitoring enemy movements, accurately assessing the evolving situation, and ensuring comprehensive preparation in all aspects are essential for the successful execution of the operation. In this regard, commanders and operational staff must consistently collect combat intelligence, analyse battlefield developments, forecast enemy actions, and evaluate both subjective and objective factors influencing combat operations. Special attention should also be paid to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of both enemy forces and our forces that may affect the course of the battle. Particularly when an enemy attack is repelled, commanders and staff must closely monitor the enemy’s subsequent actions, including reconnaissance activities, diversionary manoeuvres, force redeployment, as well as concentration of troops and combat equipment in key areas. This enables proactive anticipation of potential shift in enemy offensive direction and the formulation of appropriate responses. On our side, commanders and staff must maintain a thorough understanding of the operational status of all units involved across different fronts, making timely adjustments to force deployment, equipment allocation, and logistics support. Enhanced surveillance and reconnaissance efforts are crucial to monitoring enemy movements and ensuring our readiness to counter further attacks or shifts in offensive direction. Additionally, precise evaluations of terrain conditions, infrastructure, weather, and hydrography are essential. These factors could enable us to maximise advantages, mitigate challenges, and identify the most probable directions or areas where the enemy may shift their offensive efforts, thus allowing the formulation of well-planned and effective countermeasures.

Alongside maintaining situational awareness, accurate assessments, and meticulous, well-coordinated, and comprehensive preparation is essential - both in the pre-operation phase and during direct operational preparations.  In the pre-operation phase, commanders and operational staff must conduct field reconnaissance and thoroughly study the terrain and relevant factors to formulate a defensive plan. This includes precisely identifying primary defensive directions, key objectives, and operational areas for mobile offensive forces. Additionally, potential routes and zones where the enemy may shift their offensive - whether by land, airborne assault, or other means - must be anticipated to lay the groundwork for early preparation. Based on the predetermined plans, efforts should focus on constructing defensive fortifications, obstacles, and lines of communication to ensure that our combat posture can be swiftly adapted to counter the enemy’s shift in offensive direction to avoid being caught off guard and forced reaction from our side. During the direct preparation phase, combat situations can change in a very short period of time while the Operation Commander not only has to command ongoing engagements on various fronts but also direct force positioning and manoeuvring to counter shifts in the enemy’s offensive strategy. Therefore, it is vital to maximise the outcomes of the pre-campaign preparations and apply a parallel staff work approach to swiftly launch countermeasures at the most opportune moments. Maintaining real-time situational awareness enables commanders to adjust combat strategies in alignment with battlefield realities, with a focus on refining tactics, force deployment, and logistics arrangements. At the same time, it is essential to swiftly carry out task assignment, coordination arrangements, and logistics allocations. Furthermore, every advantage must be leveraged to ensure force and materiel redeployment with utmost secrecy to avoid enemy interdiction.

Second, flexibly transforming combat posture, constantly seizing and maintaining the initiative to counter enemy’s shift of offensive direction. As the enemy continuously adjusts the scale, tactics, and execution of their attacks to create the element of surprise, it is crucial for us to dynamically transform the combat posture to stay proactive and maximise the combined strength of all forces. Commanders and operational staff must flexibly reorganise, redeploy, and reposition forces - particularly mobile assault units - based on battlefield developments and enemy actions, regardless of whether the shift in offensive direction aligns with our initial anticipation. Based on the pre-determined combat intentions, commanders must seize opportunities to gradually adjust force deployment and make necessary reinforcement, ensuring that each force operates according to its strengths without disrupting the overall combat posture. Units reassigned to defensive positions must be adequately reinforced with personnel and equipment, swiftly occupy previously prepared positions, improve fortifications, and coordinate with other forces to ensure readiness in the upcoming engagements. Forward-operating units should fully utilise the terrain to quickly move into key positions, and establish defensive strongpoints to engage the enemy from afar and at close quarters. Remaining forces, depending on their own task, must take steps to adjust their areas of operation, deployment zones and firing positions, or modify their missions and enhance their units if necessary to provide support to guarantee the defeat of enemy new primary advance. After each enemy attack wave on this new axis, commanders and operational staff must reassess the overall situation, anticipate the enemy’s next moves, and direct units to adjust their forces and repair fortifications, obstacles, and firepower, ensuring readiness for subsequent engagements.

Alongside transforming combat posture, various measures must be implemented to seize and maintain the initiative throughout the operation. During the preparation phase, it is essential to proactively study and accurately assess the enemy’s intentions and tactics to develop appropriate contingency plans and establish a robust, flexible defensive posture. Simultaneously, comprehensive preparations must also be made across all aspects, from personnel to logistics and technical support. During combat, commanders must seize opportunities and use forces to intercept and repel enemy advances from afar, thereby reducing their assault capability on new offensive axes. When the enemy attacks key defensive positions, the Operation Command must coordinate closely with local armed forces and higher commands to create a unified and widespread effort to counter the enemy across the entire battlefield. In addition, special attention must be paid to measures that mitigate enemy firepower and electronic warfare capabilities to ensure force protection, maintain command structures, and sustain effective combat coordination.

Third, exercising focalised and unified leadership, along with decisive, flexible, and coherent command. Countering the enemy’s shift in offensive direction is a complex and demanding task in which rapidly evolving situations require commanders to manage multiple units simultaneously while closely coordinating with local armed forces within the operational area. Therefore, combat leadership must be centralised and unified, ensuring decisive, adaptable, and coherent command from the Operation Command down to subordinate units and attached contingents. Throughout both preparation and combat execution phases, the Operation Party Committee must uphold the principles of democratic centralism, collective leadership, and individual accountability for each specific task. In unexpected or urgent situations, the Operation Party Committee and Command must act swiftly and flexibly while maintaining overall unity. A high degree of cohesion in combat strategy, battlefield preparation, and force deployment is essential, with each command staff member bearing full responsibility for their assigned duties. The Operation Commander must personally lead key and decisive engagements and other critical tasks in response to the enemy’s shift of offensive direction. To ensure combat effectiveness, a robust, uninterrupted, and secure communication network must be maintained, with contingency measures to counter enemy advantages in high-tech weaponry and electronic warfare. During critical moments and decisive opportunities, the operation leadership must carefully evaluate all factors, creatively apply theoretical principles to battlefield reality, and fully leverage the role of commands and operational staff of all levels to ensure the success of the operation.

Countering the enemy’s shift of offensive direction in a defensive operation is a demanding and unpredictable task. Therefore, it is essential to further study and develop theoretical aspects of defensive operations to meet the tasks of training and combat to safeguard the Fatherland in the new era.

Col. TRAN CHI TUE, PhD

Army Academy