A primary defensive zone is the deciding factor in the stability of military region defensive posture. Firm maintenance of the primary defensive zone is the most important task of the armed forces and people in a military region. Thus, this issue deserves in-depth, comprehensive studies aimed to propose scientific solutions to increased effectiveness of fighting the enemy for firmly holding the primary defensive zone and successful accomplishment of defensive operations in each strategic direction and area in the war to safeguard the Fatherland.

Military region defensive operations is a new type of operations, which is being researched, developed, and applied to practice in order to meet requirements and missions of defending the Fatherland in the new situation. Nevertheless, this type of operations is made up from many forces and takes place in a strategic direction and area of some provinces and cities in a fairly lengthy period of time right from the onset to the end of the war. The main defensive zone is categorised as the most important element that is key to stability of the defensive posture. This area must be held at all costs in military region defensive operations. The primary defensive zone, therefore, is likely the area that is heavily bombed, shelled, and attacked by the adversary. The enemy would concentrate most their forces and weapon systems on attacking provincial key defensive areas, critical targets, and key defensive nodes by means of many operational measures with the aim to seize the areas and facilitate follow-up attacks on critical, strategic zones and targets deep inside the country. Thus, the operational activities occur fiercely and situations keep changing all the time.

In fact, there are some military experts conducting research into military region defensive operations but not many of these studies have mentioned the fight against the enemy for firmly holding the primary defensive zone. Therefore, research into this subject is a vital, objective requirement in the cause of protecting the Fatherland today. On the basis of in-depth, comprehensive, systematic studies about the adversary, our forces, terrain, climate, and hydrology in the operational areas, we propose some initial scientific solutions aimed to enhance the effectiveness of fighting the enemy for firmly holding the primary defensive zone of a military region.

First, it is necessary to step up reconnaissance. Secret, timely, continual, correct, sufficient reconnaissance provides an important foundation for the military region to come up with operational plans, deal with contingencies in a rapid, timely manner, and seize initiative during the process of combating the enemy to firmly holding the main defensive zone. In the context of the enemy’s firepower, mobility, widespread cyber and electronic warfare, use of many operational methods, concurrent offensive in many directions, combination of land attack with amphibious, airborne operations, riverine flank attack, and swift penetration into the main defensive zone, the military region must carry out land, air, sea, and cyber reconnaissance. It is also required to exploit and bring into full play capacity, strengths, and reconnaissance results of all forces, including its units, units of higher and lower echelons, local armed forces, etc., with a view to timely, correctly detecting intention of the enemy. The scope of reconnaissance is broad but focuses on the primary operational direction and zone. The military region must be well aware of plots, scale of forces, weapons and equipment, units, formations, and operational methods of the enemy; creatively and effectively apply methods and means of reconnaissance, which combines technical reconnaissance with human intelligence and information provided by prisoners of war as well as modern with rudimentary instruments to get to know about the enemy from the distance; attach importance to information collection, analysis, and processing; keep secret and remain vigilant against the enemy’s deception, laying the basis for formulating suitable, correct, timely response.

Second, maintenance of enduring, non-stop combat. The fight against the enemy for firmly holding the primary defensive zone usually occurs fiercely and continually since the onset and during the operational process with massive bombings and shelling, resulting in high rates of casualties. Consequently, after combat, the military region orders its force in charge of defence to actively strengthen trenches, obstacles, forces, weapon systems, ammunition, etc., in order to maintain enduring, non-stop combat power and complete their operational missions. The mobile strike force focuses on preparing weapons and equipment, especially vehicles and maneuver routes, in order to be ready to fight the enemy. Units in billets must keep secret and dig trenches and dugouts to protect their soldiers, weapon systems, and equipment against enemy fire. Arm units must be used and deployed in accordance with capacity and strength of each unit and weapon in order to leverage their potential. It is necessary to closely combine the construction of trenches (both the official and reserve ones), fake combat sites to deceive the enemy, and maneuver for force protection to ensure combat capacity for a long time; organise and position the system of headquarters properly in each direction and operational area to ensure that they are robust and convenient for command and control of units in all situations.

Moreover, there needs to build a system of trenches, shelters, and underground tunnels that are capable of withstanding huge impacts of enemy fire, ensuring force protection for persistent combat; improve the effectiveness of party work and political work in operations; combine training, force development, and improved command and control at all levels with adoption of measures to mobilise human and material resources for the war, meeting the requirement of attrition warfare.

Third, active and proactive prevention and effective response to high-tech weapons of the adversary to ensure force protection. During their attack, especially at our primary defensive zone, the enemy is likely to employ high-tech weapons to destroy our resistance. Thus, to firmly uphold this area requires the military region to base oneself on specific conditions, missions, combat methods, terrain, and weather to organise and site units and weapon systems properly, ensuring that we can leverage our fire power to fight the enemy in the most timely, effective way while protecting our forces, vehicles, and equipment against high-tech weapons of the enemy. To reduce the chance of being detected and destroyed by the enemy, the military region must closely combine building of trenches and dugouts with camouflage and deception. Special importance is attached to building of hardened trenches and tunnels for headquarters, forces in charge of defence, and all kinds of weapons, critical targets, and key defensive nodes. There needs to enhance mobility and movement of weapons and equipment during combat to order to not only avoid the enemy’s high-tech weapons, protect our forces but also help to establish and transform posture flexibly, ensuring secrecy, surprise, and superiority in force and fire power in major battles and operations. Additionally, cadres and soldiers should have necessary knowledge of preventing and countering the enemy’s high-tech weapons; actively study to gain latest information about the enemy’s weapons that are in use and will be used in future wars; apply other countries’ experience to our operations. Prevention must be effectively combined with countering the enemy fire. However, as a result of our limitations in terms of weapons and equipment, prevention should be the main measure while taking opportunities to fight the enemy by means of available weapons and equipment. It is important to leverage our forte in close combat and intertwined fighting aimed to prevent the enemy from separating their forces from ours; combine enduring combat with swift attack to destroy the targets and quickly maneuver to protect our forces.

Fourth, uniform command and control, close coordination, smooth signal transmission, and prevention and response to electronic warfare. To attain close command and coordination among forces throughout operations requires a uniform command system from the military region to the regular force and forces of the provincial, municipal defensive zones with sufficient elements, forces, and equipment; secure command information and have plans to move the headquarters as needed in order to enable the military region commander to command and control forces in a smooth, continual, and timely manner in any situations. It is necessary to set up a complete information network in association with using many devices, including radios, landline phones, and signal communication and transmitting information through many channels both the official and reserve ones. There needs to have plans to ensure timely command, control, and response to situations. Signal units of the military region, Ministry of National Defence, services, and arms deployed in each direction and area are to be coordinated closely to establish a smooth, robust information system capable of commanding and controlling all forces in all directions and areas, of which priorities are given to forces in charge of defence in the primary direction and units responsible for fighting the decisive battle of the campaign. Measures should be taken aimed at improving units’ capacity to counter the enemy’s electronic warfare, focusing on using elite forces and firepower to raid enemy headquarters and signal jamming stations, thus destroying their electronic devices while protecting our signal systems for command and control.

Fifth, good logistical, technical support for fighting the enemy and firmly holding the primary defensive zone. The military region needs to direct its technical, logistical department to work closely with functional departments of the higher echelon to timely have sufficient military supplies, medicine, fuel, weapon systems, equipment, and vehicles with the highest quality, meeting operational requirements; work closely with local party committees and authorities to map out plans to mobilise technical, logistical resources for operations. The rear bases, technical, logistical bases and subbases, operational, strategic warehouses and stations are to be exploited and leveraged in order to provide timely, sufficient support for forces in charge of fighting the enemy. It is necessary to prepare forces, trucks, recovery vehicles, and maneuver routes for forces of the military region, especially the units in charge of main tasks and in the primary direction and zone. Besides, measures must be taken to prevent and respond to enemy fire during transportation and delivery of supplies, ensuring that forces of the military region are able to continually combat the enemy for a long time and win victory.

Senior Colonel, Dr. TRAN HUNG CUONG, National Defence Academy