In performing combat task or undergoing training and combat readiness duties, military pilots always face difficulties, hardships, and dangers that require them to have both professional competence and firm political stuff to fulfill the task in any situation. Therefore, seeking measures to improve their political stuff represents a matter of importance.

In performing their tasks, alongside affects caused by military operations, military pilots are likely affected by flight operations characterized by stress, difficulties and sacrifices which entail their courage, independence, self-reliance, resoluteness, and creativity. Realities of wars in our country and recent hi-tech wars worldwide show that air force in general, military pilots in particular, are always the target for the enemy’s air force and modern anti-aircraft weapons from the very first strike to the end of the war. In peace time, they must organize training and combat readiness operations and exercises relevant to the situations in a war in order to fulfil the tasks assigned by the Party, State and people. Thus, in war time or peace time, military pilots must have optimal physical fitness, high professional competence, firm political stuff, absolute loyalty, willpower and a sense of self-discipline. The resistance war against the US imperialists for national salvation proved that thanks to firm political stuff, faith in victory and will of “daring to fight, knowing how to fight”, our military pilots created arts of combat, brought into play the effectiveness of our materiel to the utmost, in company with our military and people made the Victory of “Dien Bien Phu in the air” shaking the globe, greatly contributing to the cause of liberating the South and reunifying the Homeland.

Today’s task of building and defending the Homeland is imposing very demanding requirements. The Air Defence - Air Force Service has built to move straight to modernity. In addition to the equipment of advanced materiel, consideration has been given to personnel, particularly military pilots, in an effort to build their political stuff, capability in flight, and sense of discipline. Scientific and technological advances have applied to military and defence fields to produce new-generation weapons of all kinds with outstanding technical specifications, such as rapid, powerful, accurate assault, immense space and short time, night-time and day-time operation, which causes huge losses for opponents. That will make a war (if occurs) fiercer, thereby putting military pilots under greater pressure. Moreover, the “peaceful evolution” strategy and artifices to enhance “military depoliticization” by hostile forces have made huge impacts on political stuff and mentality of our troops in general, military pilots in particular. Therefore, building military pilots’ firm political stuff represents a matter of utmost importance with the key points as follows.

First, regularly successfully conducting the work of political and ideological education for military pilots. According to Lenin, “in any war, victory finally depends on the state of the spirit of those masses who spill their blood on the battlefield”. Thus, air force units should heighten the role and responsibility of party committees, political commissars and junior political commissars, political offices and political cadres at all levels, making military pilots imbued with Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s thought, and our Party’s military guidelines and thought, particularly its viewpoints on the relationship between men and weapons with the former playing a decisive role. The work of political and ideological education must equip them with the spirit of independence, self-reliance, and patriotism, national pride and tradition of fighting the enemy to defend the Homeland by our people and heroic Air Force troops; with absolute loyalty to the Party, Homeland and people, will and determination to fight and win, and readiness to fulfil every assigned task.

In addition, attention should be paid to making every military pilot fully aware of the scale and fierceness of hi-tech air battles as well as hardships and dangers. To do so, units at all levels should lay down measures to renew content, forms, methods and means of education properly, while combining education with self-education, organization management with self-management with significance attached to exemplary role during the process of political and ideological education for this force. It is necessary to accelerate the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics, and lifestyle in line with the implementation of the Campaign “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, the tradition of “absolute loyalty, determined attack, united coordination, collective feat of arms” as well as other movements and campaigns. At the same time, it is important to resolutely fight to foil “peaceful evolution” strategy and plots of “military depoliticization” by hostile forces as well as manifestations of degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle, and “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within.

Second, improving the quality of training, flight competence, and capabilities to deal with the situations regarding military pilots. Reality has shown that a military pilot’s political stuff and confidence will be increased and manifested via specific actions when he/she masters combat skills and tactics as well as weapons and equipment. Thus, Air Force units and offices should pay due regard to enhancing the quality of training and this force’s flight competence. During the process of training, it is vital to follow the motto “basics, practicality, thorough grasp, safety and saving” and attach flight training and safety to specific content, measure and target. In this regard, priority should be given to pilots on combat readiness duty, key pilots and those who carry out their task in night time and sea, etc., making them grasp the content and requirements of each flight exercise, master flying means in any circumstance, be able to quickly and accurately deal with contingencies. Operational plans against hi-tech aggressive wars should be developed while the content, programs and methods of training should be renewed to be relevant to realities. Knowledge on the art of air operations should be updated and developed to ensure that every military pilot will master forms of tactics at their level, combat skills, and materiel, maintain readiness to fight and win, and act as the core force to defeat hi-tech aggressive wars. Scientific and technological advances should be effectively applied to the process of management and training, and to renewing the work of staff, command, and operation at each level in accordance with forms, space, duration and conditions of operations. Also, it is important to combine technical and tactical training with physical training, to increase duration for practice, and to improve the capability in coordination between military pilots and forces of the Service and other units, services and corps in the Military.

Third, well conducting the work of command and coordination with relevant forces and ensuring absolute safety for every flight. Each flight by military pilots intended for training or other tasks is related to the forces, such as command, air navigation, technical support and so on. Therefore, successfully carrying out this work will contribute to improving military pilots’ political stuff and strengthen their confidence when they undertake the task. Being tasked with management, exploitation and use of modern weapons and technical equipment by the Party, the State and the Military, Air Force units must have high calibre staff and absolutely conform to the procedure for management, exploitation and use to bring into play pre-eminent technical specifications of weapons and equipment. In order that each flight could satisfy the goal and requirements, the work of command and coordination between relevant forces must be absolutely accurate in each command and movement while the procedure for checking technical condition and fuelling aircraft before each flight must be stringently followed. More importantly, due regard should be paid to leadership and direction over assigning responsibility to each individual for making preparations, drawing lessons before, during and after each flight, for giving command and conducting the work of coordination between relevant forces for each flight. When being assigned task, every cadre, pilot and staff member must be seriously and elaborately take steps, while opportunely detecting and reporting functional offices on arising issues to address, particularly on technical issues.

Fourth, regularly improving material and mental life of military pilots and successfully implementing policies regarding Military families. It is proved that material and mental life always has impacts on all activities of a man. Thus, it is necessary to successfully carry out this work to help military pilots keep their mind on their work and improve their physical and mental health, thereby enhancing their political stuff and determination to readily undertake and fulfil the assigned task. Consideration should be given to leadership and direction over sufficiently and opportunely ensuring entitlements for military pilots as special objects. All their interests, particularly economic and political ones, must be publicized while cultural, artistic, and sport activities should be organized for military pilots to relax after stressful flights. At the same time, it is important to implement policies regarding rank promotion, pay rise, training and families to make military pilots keep their mind on their work.

Things mentioned above are fundamental measures to build military pilots’ political stuff, helping them effectively deal with the situations in the air during the process of training and combat to fulfil the task of defending Homeland’s sky.

Colonel Tran Huu Hoa, Air Defence - Air Force Academy