Terrain reconnaissance, study and evaluation are crucial aspects that assist commanders in making decision, issuing orders and managing combat operations swiftly, timely, and accurately. Therefore, to meet the requirements and tasks of military operations in new conditions, agencies, units, and educational institutions need to continue to thoroughly understand and implement resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence in enhancing the quality of military topography training through determined and coordinated solutions.
Military topography is widely taught in military schools and also a subject in annual combat training for officers and specialised personnel in various agencies and units. In recent years, along with effectively implementing the state management functions related to defence cartography and long-range reconnaissance, the Department of Cartography has deeply adhered to resolutions and directives regarding training, particularly Resolution No. 765-NQ/QUTW dated 20 December 2012, issued by the Central Military Commission, concerning the improvement of training quality during the 2013 - 2020 period and the following years; and annual military and defence work orders and directives from the Chief of the General Staff, proactively advising the General Staff on leading and directing all military agencies, units, and schools to strictly maintain military topography training for military personnel closely aligned with the requirements of combat missions with continuously improved quality. In addition, the Department worked with other agencies and units in providing strategic advice and successfully fulfilling military topography tasks for large-scale exercises such as MT-22, PT-23, and TC-23 and directed the Topography Support Branch to assist commanders at all levels in drafting military and defence documents, organising training, and conducting exercises. It also organised the military-wide Technical Competition for Military Topography and notably trained the “Meridian” team, which achieved 3rd place in Army Games 2021 and 4th out of 8 teams in 2022.
In addition to the achieved results, the military topography training still faces several difficulties and challenges. The content and training programmes lack uniformity, instructors for this subject typically have multiple responsibilities, training support mechanisms are still overlapping, and training materials, especially equipment for new and modern training content, has not fully met the requirements, etc.
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| The Department of Topography checks the work of military topgraphy training at Quang Ngai Provincial Military Command |
In the upcoming period, in conjunction with the developments in the tasks of military – defence, the fields of aviation, space, electronics, computer science, remote sensing, and digital technology will continue to advance rapidly. These advancements will significantly impact the forms, methods, and means of command and place high demands on the management and utilisation of military topography database. Therefore, to meet these requirements and tasks, the Party committees and commanders of all military agencies, units, and schools need to thoroughly adhere to the resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence regarding military topography work. Based on this foundation, they should vigorously promote innovation and enhance the quality of training in this crucial subject. This involves focusing on effectively implementing several key tasks and primary solutions as follows.
First, enhance leadership, guidance, and organisation in carrying out military topography training. Thoroughly upholding Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022, concerning the improvement of training quality for the period 2023 - 2030 and the subsequent years; Resolution No. 1657-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022, on innovating education and training to meet the requirements of building the Military in the new situation as by the Central Military Commission, the Department of Cartography should closely collaborate with military agencies, units, and schools to continue to review and supplement objectives, targets, and programmes to enhance the quality of combat training in general and military topography training in particular, aligning closely with practical realities and mission requirements. Specifically, there should be a focus on unifying the objectives of education, training, exercises, and competition activities; updating content related to modern topography research technology; innovating teaching and training methods with practical application as the guiding principle; strengthening and improving the professionalism of the training officer corps; ensuring effective material and equipment support, particularly with new equipment; and enhancing the inspection and supervision of the training and education processes, etc.
To facilitate the implementation of these works by agencies, units, and educational institutions, the Department must continue to guide functional departments to specify objectives and tasks; develop programmes, projects, and specialised activities aimed at enhancing the overall quality of military topography training for the entire Military, study and supplement functions, tasks, and amend the Regulations on the Military Topography Branch; refine the decentralisation mechanism in organising training, inspection, evaluation, and essential equipment and material support. In addition, the Department of Cartography must closely coordinate with the Department of Military Training and Department of Military School to incorporate military topography content into combat training programmes; issue guidelines and directives on the objectives of training, teaching, testing, evaluation, review, etc., as a basis for the entire Military to implement, contributing to improving the results of military topography training in particular and the overall quality of military topography work in general. At the same time, the Department must work with relevant agencies to research and define responsibilities in technical and equipment support for military topography training, addressing overlapping and ineffective practices.
Second, continue the standardisation and modernisation of the content and promote innovation in military topography training. The distinct nature of military topography primarily involves practical application and must align with other disciplines during the training process. Therefore, to enhance the quality of this subject, in the coming period, based on a thorough understanding of the tasks and solutions identified in Resolution No. 1657-NQ/QUTW, the Department continues to collaborate with relevant agencies, academies, and schools to research and unify, adjust content, update information, and increase practical training time in alignment with the process of training reform. This direction combines traditional characteristics with modernity, standardisation, and practicality in training and exercises at the unit level. In addition, emphasis should be placed on developing a military topography training process suitable for reconnaissance and military intelligence tasks. Alongside traditional training content, there should be additional topics such as image processing technology, satellite positioning technology, long-range reconnaissance technology, terrain research, and force mobility management, as well as digital mapping for developing and archiving various types of maps. Furthermore, there should be efforts to strengthen the application of digital transformation in training; continue translating and compiling materials and textbooks on military topography; establish a library of films and photographic materials on terrain, analyse terrain according to military operational objectives, and implement simulation on terrain reconnaissance, research, evaluation, and utilisation for specific situations. Additionally, military agencies, units, and schools continue to innovate training methods with a trainee-centred approach and focus on self-learning and self-research. Also, special attention should be given to developing on-map terrain-study skills, particularly studying and determining the military value of each type of terrain on the field. In practical training, it is essential to design realistic drills closely tied to the units’ assigned tasks with trainee groups divided for each exercise, and enhance awareness and understanding of terrain study in all military activities, especially during exercises and supplement tactical documents accordingly. Besides, the Department of Cartography must innovate the content and methods of training exercises and competitions to align with the reality of combat training and new technologies in terrain advisory work, and maintain the regime of technical exchange sessions for key technical personnel within the Branch and teaching staffs to update and disseminate information, discuss training methods for challenging issues emerging in practice.
Third, maintain the discipline and quality of military topography training while strengthening the foster and advanced training for officers involved in military topography work. To address the shortcomings of the current military topography training staff, the Department of Cartography will immediately organise foster training sessions for officers and personnel involved in military topography throughout the Military. This will serve as the basis for staff planning and the implementation of training activities by military agencies and units. Additionally, it is critical to provide advanced technology knowledge training for military topography instructors at military academies and schools. The training content will primarily focus on updating new technologies in military reconnaissance, military navigation, geographic information systems, terrain modeling, analysis, and equipment utilisation. Furthermore, there will be coordination in guiding military topography teaching staffs to enhance specialised training and discussions and research on innovation in training methods. Additionally, it is critical to maintain activities such as methodological discussions, teaching trials, and model lessons. In the long term, the Department will coordinate with military academies and schools to prioritise selecting officers with extensive experience in reconnaissance, operational planning, and training for basic and professional training both domestically and internationally. This effort aims to build a pool of military topography teachers and instructors for the entire Military. Besides, the Department will strengthen the inspection of compliance with disciplinary norms, training content, and duration of military topography training and instruct agencies and units to select experienced officers to carry out these tasks. Before conducting training, military agencies, units, and schools need to review and unify content, update and supplement new knowledge. And they should also coordinate with cartography agencies at all levels to ensure sufficient terrain data and provide guidance on equipment utilisation to facilitate realistic and practical training.
Fourth, effectively organise the logistics for military topography training. Military topography is a specialised aspect of combat training that demands practical and realistic exercises. To enhance the quality of military topography training, the Department of Cartography will continue to coordinate with agencies such as the Department of Military Logistics, the Department of Military Training Department, and the Department of Military Schools to allocate budget for technical assurance of equipment and consumables required for training and operations. In addition, investments will be made to construct specialised classrooms with modern, uniformed equipment for key military educational institutions and procure equipment to distribute to prioritised units. Also, there will be focus on the acquisition of modern equipment such as specialised computers for mapping, remote sensing, and military document editing software; positioning and navigation systems; aerial photography and measurement devices; building geographic information systems and specialised databases; and software for terrain study, evaluation, and decision-making. Besides, priority will be given to units undergoing modernisation, those with sufficient personnel, and those performing special missions.
Simultaneously, effective management, maintenance, repairs, and inspections will be maintained to ensure the stable and efficient operation of equipment. Military topography work plays a crucial role in military activities and is experiencing significant development due to the application of modern scientific and technological achievements. Therefore, the entire Military should focus on leadership and direction to improve the quality of training in this area to fulfil the requirements and tasks of protecting the Fatherland in the current situation.
Senior Colonel, Dr. BUI YEN TINH, Deputy Director of the Department of Cartography, General Staff