Ensuring the mobility land routes for countering enemy advances in strategic defensive operations is one of the primary tasks of the engineer corps in a potential Patriotic War to defend the Fatherland. To complete this crucial mission, it necessitates that the commanders of various departments and units, particularly the combat engineer forces, must firmly grasp its requirements and objectives to implement a proper support plan for each operation and battle.

Experience has demonstrated that the tasks of road building, maintenance, conversion and repairs to support the combat efforts by our Military and the People, with the combat engineering forces as the backbone, significantly contributed to the victories in both the resistance wars against French Colonialism and the US Imperialism. In the event of a future war to defend the Fatherland, countering enemy advances on land in strategic defensive operations is a highly challenging and intense combat activity taking place over vast terrains, involving numerous components and forces. Therefore, ensuring mobility routes for our forces becomes one of the weighty tasks, with a pivotal role and a direct impact on the outcome of the battle.

Currently and in the future, the task of ensuring mobility routes for countering enemy advances on land is very different from the work of ensuring mobility roads in previous resistance wars. For instance, the mobility routes are now prepared in advance during peacetime in accordance with the socio-economic development plans of each locality, as well as defensive strategies and plans of various military regions, corps, provinces, cities, and so forth. However, despite these preparations, due to the rapid, complex, and intense nature of warfare involving advanced technological weaponry employed by the adversary, along with their use of firepower to “soften” the battlefield and modern reconnaissance equipment and assets, the task of ensuring mobility routes imposes even higher demands and must be carried out continuously throughout the course of combat. Numerous missions must be executed with utmost urgency, such as ensuring mobility routes for various forces to develop their actions and countering enemy airborne landings and envelopments, or fighting the enemy while they are regrouping. Hence, the commanders of various departments and units, with the backbone being the combat engineering forces, must firmly grasp the combat requirements and objectives to comprehensively and promptly organise and set up mobile route provisions for our forces to counter the enemy offensives on land, contributing to decisive victories on the battlefield.

This article aims to discuss several key issues related to ensuring mobility routes for countering enemy advances on land in strategic defensive operations in a potential Patriotic War to defend the Fatherland.

First, prepare in advance mobility routes during peacetime and make timely adjustments and additions during the preparation and implementation of combat operations. The network of mobility routes for countering enemy advances on land in strategic defensive operations typically includes various types of roads: main roads, reserve roads, alternative routes, bypasses, specialised mobility routes for strategic technical and logistical forces and hardware, etc. These road types can encompass national highways, provincial roads, inter-district roads, inter-commune roads, branch roads, and trails, either pre-existing or subject to improvement, repairs, and renovation during the preparation and execution of combat operations. However, during the occurrence of strategic defensive operations, the network of vital roads and transportation hubs, combat structures on the main axis, assembly areas for our forces and vehicles, etc., are susceptible to heavy enemy attacks, causing considerable difficulties for combat activities.

To ensure sufficient mobility routes for combat forces and technical hardware to fight the enemy, the Field Commands and its subordinate departments must preplan the required number of routes across the operational area, before, during, and after combat, encompassing both flatlands, midlands, mountainous regions, as well as waterways. This demands that the commanders of various departments and units, especially the combat engineering forces, develop proper plans for ensuring mobility routes in accordance with the defensive strategy even during peacetime, and are ready to improve, repair, and renovate such routes during combat. During the planning process, unit commanders and heads of combat engineering at all levels must base their decisions on the assigned tasks, capabilities of the combat engineering units, the reinforcements as well as the tactical features of various weaponry and equipment. They must firmly grasp the existing transportation network within the defensive area, and the combat terrain, and anticipate roadways, bridges, culverts, and river crossings that can be improved, repaired, or build. This will enable their forces, especially the combat engineering units to execute their tasks with the highest efficiency. At the same time, close coordination with both functional civilian and Military agencies, particularly with the transportation, logistical, construction, and investment planning branches. These organisations should provide recommendations to local Party committees and authorities, and Field Commands and Party Committees to review transportation projects that serve socio-economic development tasks with a close tie to the defence and security work in their respective localities. Additionally, it is crucial to anticipate the quantity of raw materials, vehicles, equipment, explosives, etc., required for new route construction, while regularly inspecting, summarising, and compiling changes in the civilian road network, bridges and river crossings. Predicting potential enemy strikes against key transportation hubs is also vital to formulate countermeasures.

Second, ensuring mobile routes must align with the commanding officer’s combat determination. This is a principle requirement for all participating forces; it serves as the legal basis for task assignment, coordination instruction, and force organisation. In strategic defensive operations, the task of engineering support in general, the task of ensuring mobility routes in particular, is often divided into phases, combined with each combat mission. For the effective deployment of forces and military platforms against enemy advances on land in line with the intended combat strategy, the mobility routes must always be kept unobstructed. This is a significantly demanding task, as alongside the building of combat structures and shelters, and command posts at all levels, the combat engineering forces must focus on keeping the mobility routes clear for units involved in the work of combat preparation and manoeuvre, supply and technical equipment transportation, force adjustment and establishment, combat posture transformation, countering enemy offensives on land, and handling various combat contingencies. Hence, the requirement for the commander of the engineering forces and the leadership of his subordinate engineering units is to firmly grasp the intent and combat determination of the Field Commander, the enemy and friendly situations, the terrain, weather within the operational area, the objectives for each combat phase, and the timeline for completing all preparation to fight the enemy. This forms the foundation for developing plans for the work of ensuring mobility routes that are well-suited to the situation.

In the work of ensuring mobility routes, there must be close coordination between the units participating in combat and the local armed forces population. Efforts should be made to maximise the use of existing forces and resources from both the combat engineering units on the field and other relevant departments, contingents, and local entities within the operational area. This is to carry out the mission according to an integrated plan, while maintaining secrecy about our forces and resources to prevent losses. During the process of improvement, repair, or renovation of roads, bridges, and river crossings, especially at key locations, priority must be given to defending forces, mobile attack contingents on primary, secondary  and flanking prongs, and mobile routes for armoured and artillery units to carry out their missions in line with the combat intention and determination.

Third, concentrate forces and resources on the main directions and key campaigns and battles with strong reserve forces and maximum utilisation of the combined strength of all units. The characteristics of strategic defensive operations show that they typically unfold over a wide area, extend for a relatively long period, possess an intense nature, and involve numerous participating forces and diverse contingents that need support. On the other hand, the combat engineering forces in general, and the units responsible for ensuring mobility routes in particular, are limited in number while the task of ensuring mobility routes is often carried out under tight schedules and involves a substantial workload.

Therefore, to ensure an adequate number of routes for units engaged in defensive actions, and manoeuvring actions against the enemy, combat engineering departments and units must maximise their deployment of forces and resources. Consequently, the commander of the combat engineering forces and the leadership of these units must formulate precise and scientific plans for employing forces and resources for each phase, mission, and direction, with a specific emphasis on prioritising routes for main axes and crucial campaigns and battles. Moreover, there should be clear assignments and delegation among the combat engineering forces: opening new routes, repairing and improving old ones, and restoring damaged routes due to enemy destruction. Contingency plans should be in place to address disadvantages caused by enemy actions or natural disasters. Additionally, the organisation and utilisation of appropriate construction forces, along with proper implementation according to schedules and workloads, are essential. Strong reserve forces and resources should be available to address unforeseen situations that arise during combat.

Due to the significantly demanding and complex task of ensuring mobility routes, heads of combat engineering at various levels need to mobilise a considerable number of forces to participate in this work, creating a combined strength for mission execution. Consequently, they must actively and proactively collaborate closely with central and local departments and agencies when mobilising forces, resources, and infrastructures for road improvement, repairs, and renovation. This is especially crucial for the resources, infrastructure and technical platforms of construction and transportation enterprises and the Police and Border Guard, as well as the local populace within the defensive area.

Fourth, organise a unified, flexible, and efficient chain of command. During peacetime, the system of mobility routes must be fully improved, repaired, and renovated according to the defence strategies and plans of cities, military regions, and corps. These routes must be kept in good condition and be ready to be used when necessary. However, during combat, the battlefield situation can rapidly evolve, become precarious, and intense, and new tasks may emerge in accordance with the demands of campaigns and battles. These could involve opening new routes, and constructing additional bridges and river crossings within a short period, with high demands and a significant workload, while the enemy frequently conducts reconnaissance and strikes to damage them. Therefore, commanders at all levels need to monitor and firmly grasp the terrain and weather conditions within the operational area, the enemy’s operational patterns, and the capabilities of the units participating in combat, especially the combat engineering units. Based on this, they must organise and direct preparations meticulously regarding forces, resources, and infrastructures to ensure mobility routes for combat forces as soon as possible.

Also, commanders at all levels must be flexible, and creative, and be able to correctly anticipate and be prepared for multiple options and scenarios, particularly those concerning forces and technical resources. This is to ensure readiness for substitution, supplementation, and continuous assurance of unobstructed mobility routes. Additionally, the commanding officer of the combat engineering forces should actively and proactively employ various methods and measures to improve and repair damaged routes caused by enemy actions. Furthermore, they should adeptly exploit the advantages of the terrain to create new routes if the old ones cannot be adequately repaired.

The aforementioned issues serve as preliminary foundations for commanders and heads of combat engineering units at all levels, as well as the battlefield support forces to study and apply in the implementation of the task of ensuring mobility routes. This helps to leverage the combined strength of the agencies and units participating in combat, contributing to the success of our forces in countering enemy advances on land, creating opportunities and favourable postures for other combat activities, enabling our forces to carry out actions to eliminate the enemy and concluding the conflict.

Lieutenant General, Dr. NGUYEN ANH TUAN, Deputy Director of the National Defence Academy