The Engineer Brigade 550 has been selected by the 4th Corps High Command and the Engineering High Command to build a model of engineering work at campaign level in the period from 2016 to 2018. The Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders have determined that this is an opportunity for the Brigade to consolidate and improve the quality of preservation and exploitation of military equipment as well as the professional qualifications of the contingent of technical personnel. Upon receipt of the directive, the Brigade’s Party Committee has issued a special resolution on leading the task of building a model of engineering work. The commanders have developed the detailed plan in accordance with the practical situation of the unit and assigned personnel to take charge of, supervise and monitor each work. The Party committees and commanders at all levels have regularly heightened soldiers’ awareness and responsibility for carrying out this task, mobilized all organizations and branches in the task, and assigned jobs synchronously and precisely to each agency and unit.

The construction of the Brigade’s technical area

In order to well conduct all the tasks of building a model of engineering work, the Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders have concentrated their leadership on political and ideological education, making the Party committees and commanders at all levels, officers, soldiers and technical personnel fully aware of the objectives, requirements and specific tasks to build a model of engineering work over the period 2016 to 2018. Thus, it has brought into play the roles and responsibilities of all levels, branches, forces and individuals, heightened the spirit of solidarity, initiative, creativity and self-reliance to overcome difficulties and accomplish the tasks. In order to achieve high efficiency, the Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders have promoted the role of technical agency as the advisor and center of cooperation and guidance on the implementation of this task. Grounded on the directives, plans and instructions of the 4th Corps High Command and the Engineering Arm High Command, the technical agency has developed a comprehensive, specific plan. Focuses of the plan have been placed on: building, perfecting the planning of the technical premises and submitting it to relevant bodies for approval, planning the sequence of stages, steps, and specific time for the dismantlement of old warehouses and relocation of motor vehicles and grade-5 equipment yard, and consolidating and building each construction item and the Brigade’s overall technical area. In addition, the Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders have directed the agencies and units to review and consolidate the system of documents and archives, train and improve professional qualifications and skills of the technical staff, improve, consolidate, repair, upgrade and also build the system of warehouses and workshops in the technical area, and strictly maintain the order for technical work at all levels. In the meantime, the Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders have regularly and strictly managed materials and equipment in accordance with the Technical Regulations of the Vietnam People’s Army and the Guideline 1607/HD-CT dated May 17, 2016 by the Technical Department under the Engineering Arm, arranged the construction items in a reasonable manner at each warehouse, station, workshop, administration center, ensuring uniformity in the technical area.

Given the limited budget, the Brigade has gathered the strengths of all levels, branches and organizations, brought into full play internal force, taken advantage of all capabilities, mobilized the efforts of soldiers and vehicles of the unit in order to reduce the cost of construction, and improved, consolidated and built the infrastructure system in the technical area. The political agency has well promoted the role in advising the Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders on launching the emulation movement in line with the requirements of the task of building a model of engineering work. The Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders have also instructed the units to promote the core role of the youth union in the implementation, regularly carried out the propaganda work effectively, opportunely encouraged and multiplied the exemplary individuals and creative approaches, and strictly tackled the cases of discipline violation and failure to fulfill the tasks.  In the weekly meeting, the political agency (the standing committee of the emulation council) and the technical agency (cooperation and coordination center) must report the results and propose measures to overcome the shortcomings, contributing to speeding up and improving the quality of items. The Brigade’s commanders, agencies and units have regularly conducted the inspection work well in combination with the training and guidance to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies according to functions and levels. Particularly, the Brigade has strengthened the supervision and supervision of the construction process, ensuring the progress, quality, thrift and safety. From January 2016 to April 2018, the Brigade has mobilized more than 10,000 soldiers’ working days, 750 shifts of various machines, 8.600 liters of petrol and oil to ensure the construction of items in the technical area. At the same time, the Brigade has provided in advance the fund to consolidate the items as well as to dismantle the warehouses and constructions not matching the planning and to concrete yards and roads in the technical area with a total cost of VND 2 billion.

River-crossing support exercise

Besides, the Brigade has continued thoroughly and effectively implementing the Movement No. 50, strictly maintaining discipline and technical regulations at each level, carrying out the tasks of “Technical day”, taking initiative in studying, overcoming and promptly repairing any arising damage, ensuring weapons and equipment for combat readiness, preventing and fighting against floods and storms, and building national defense constructions. The technical specifications of the weapons and equipment have always reached and exceeded the assigned targets. The Brigade has ensured sufficient materials and facilities in service of technical training, built simulation models and software for training and exploiting military equipment, fostered the contingent of instructors and trainers to meet the demand of technical training, and organized technical training classes at the Brigade and units. Thanks to the dedicated and experienced technical staff, 100% of the equipment, vehicles - machines have regularly been maintained in accordance with the process. The vehicles have been kept with sufficient records. All the warehouses have the diagrams and lot cards in accordance with the provisions of Circular 105 and the guidance of General Technical Department and Engineering Regulations. On the other hand, due regard has been paid to the activities of science, technology, environment, and military science and technology information by the Brigade. The technical staff has actively studied, approached and mastered new technologies to repair modules and circuit boards and to restore damaged components. So far, the engineering work of the Brigade has bee set in order in the stable direction. 100% of cadres and technical staff have had high professional skills and mastered new weapons and equipment, meeting the requirements of the task.

Thanks to synchronous solutions, the Brigade has completed the constructions, such as: technical briefing room, administration room, technical training room, general maintenance and repair station, power charging station, power station, motor vehicle garages, firefighting system, warehouse system, panel system, gate and retaining wall system, yard and so on, contributing to making the Brigade’s barracks spacious, clean, and regular. The process of inspection and acceptance by higher echelons has revealed that the Brigade has strived to overcome difficulties, maintain the order and technical mode in accordance with the regulations and instructions, fully meeting the criteria for building a model of engineering work, ensuring absolute safety, and fulfilling the assigned tasks. This is also the ground for the 4th Corps and Engineering Arm to draw on experience, replicate the model, and achieve consistency in engineering work for the units in the coming time.

From the achievements, the Engineer Brigade 550 of the 4th Corps would like to share following lessons.

1. The work of building a model of engineering work must always be under the direct leadership of the Party committees at all levels, regularly receive the leadership and direction of the Heads of Ministry of Defense, Heads of Engineering Army High Command and Heads of 4th Corps High Command, and the opportune assurance of the functional agencies.

2. The Steering Committee needs to well perform the function of advising the Brigade’s Party Committee and commanders on developing plan and directing the tasks. It is also necessary to actively keep the close connection with the superior agencies to receive professional guidance, study and learn from the models of engineering units in the whole army in order to improve and apply them to the situation of the unit based on the regulations and guidance of specialized agencies.

3. It is important to follow the plans and instructions of higher levels to promptly implement the tasks and formulate specific plans at each level, ensuring timeliness in all aspects of the task. In the consolidation of the technical infrastructure, it needs to strictly implement each item completely and regularly review and draw on experience.

4. Promoting the internal strength of units and technical branches, raising the spirit of solidarity, initiative and creativity in building up technical agencies, mobilizing and making good use of all resources, funds and materials, intensifying the cooperation and coordination among agencies and units in the task performance, and attaching the task of consolidating and building the technical infrastructure to the task of camp planning.

5. Strengthening the Determined to win emulation movement, promoting the role of the contingent of cadres and party members, especially the leaders at all levels. Last but not least, it is vital to attach importance to the inspection and supervision in the implementation, promptly detecting and rectifying the shortcomings in each stage, each step and each item, and thoroughly practicing thrift and combating wastefulness.

Senior Colonel Nguyen Hong Khanh, Commander of the Brigade