Wednesday, December 30, 2015, 18:11 (GMT+7)
On engineering support for provincial defense operations in the war to safeguard the Homeland

Notable characteristics of provincial defense operation are highly complex, conducted by the province, participated by forces in the defensive area with local armed forces being the core one and convene right from the early days and through the war. For this reason, support activities, including the engineering support, play an important role. The aims of  engineering support are to create a firm defensive posture; protect combat forces and assets; enhancing the sustainability of  the  combat forces; preventing, damaging and slowing down the enemy; coordinating and creating advantages for the mobile forces of upper level (operational level) to defeat the enemy in assault, firmly holding the ground. Due to the huge amount of the constructions needed to be completed, the high technical standards, the speedy, severe and long lasting of the situations, etc, the mission of engineering support becomes difficult and complicated. Whereas, engineer troops are limited, the war is conducted in the condition that the enemy uses hi-tech weapons and equipment capable of target surveillance and detection, high lethality and accuracy, and long range, etc. These make the protection and promotion advantage of combative forces in long days become ever more important. Therefore, studying and applying contents and methods to successfully accomplishing the mission of  engineering support for provincial defense  operations is an urgent mission. This article will propose some solutions for engineering support of the above mentioned form of operation.

First, strengthening the leadership and direction of party committees and authorities; the coordination among forces for the mission. On the basis of the joint operating mechanism that has been decided, provinces should consider constructing and defensive area exercising operations for further studying and perfecting mechanism for leading and directing defensive combat activities, including engineering support. Accordingly, in terms of leadership aspect, provincial party committee should issue specialized resolution on building and operation of defensive area, which states clearly the guidelines and methods of building defensive constructions, as ground for party committees and authorities of its junior levels’ implementation. In terms of direction, on the basis of resolution of the provincial party committee and the fundamental defensive determination that has been approved by the commandants of military zone, the provincial people’s committee order the functional bodies to concretize the mission of construction building into short term and long term plans; and issue directives, guidance on implementation as well as regulations on inspecting, checking to involve all sectors, levels, forces and the whole political system.

Under the leadership of the provincial party committee, the management and direction of authority, the provincial command should promote its advisory role and its function of a center for coordination among local forces, sectors, unions to create synergy during the process of fulfilling the task of engineering support. This coordination must be conducted in two phases, namely peacetime preparation and direct preparation.

Second, intensifying propagation to raise awareness of levels, sectors, forces and the whole people in the locality of the task of engineering support. Military agencies at all levels should actively advise and help local party committees, authorities to lead and direct the propagation and education to make the whole political system and people fully aware of the plot and schemes of hostile forces, of the defense and security mission of the locality as well as the role and position of the system of constructions in the defense operation.

However, in the current  market economy, the building of defensive constructions in peacetime will somewhat have negative impact on public and private interests, even the economic growth of the locality and the lives of some residents. Therefore, education and propagation must make people fully aware of and settle harmoniously the relation between right and responsibility, between short term and long term interest, between socio-economic development and defence and security consolidation to make the appropriate adjustment with top priority for the cause of safeguarding the Homeland.

Third, attaching importance to harmonizing the plans for building constructions with the plans for socio-economic development of the locality. The provincial military command and other related agencies must base on comprehensive aspects of political, economic, cultural, social, defence and security situations of the locality to make the right plans. On the other hand, the plan for building constructions mainly serve the defensive operations of the locality, hence must adhere to the attention, determination and way of fighting of the defensive area to ensure the harmony and unification in each content and each combat area. Besides, when making plans, it is necessary to take plans for socio-economic development of the locality into consideration.

For sheltered constructions, it is necessary to make general plan of area for deploying combat forces, area for evacuating offices, factories, and people with steadiness, safety and secrecy. For combat constructions, it is necessary to base on the plans for force deployment and the real terrain to make plan for building fortifications for the combat forces. When making plan for the fortifications of local armed forces and militia-self defence forces, it is necessary to make use and renovate natural terrain to create a tightly connected disposition with robust front and depth and does not hinder socio-economic development. For the system of manoeuvre road, bridges, it is necessary to consider the real demand and the function of each kind of road to plan. In the short run, attach importance to planning, investing and upgrading dual-use system of roads, bridges and fords which are of dual use in peacetime and wartime. In the long run, it is necessary to actively make plan for the construction of new roads, obstacles, headquarters and implement the plan step by step according to a suitable roadmap with the local resource to meet the requirements of defense operation in any situations.

Snr. Lt. Col Le Xuan Truong and Lt. Col Nguyen Thanh Do

The Engineer Officer School  

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