Military intelligence and reconnaissance (hereafter recce for short) in operations in general, defensive combat of border provinces and municipalities in particular, are of utmost importance to enabling local party committees, authorities, and military agencies to grasp enemies’ situation as the basis for them to identify and adjust defensive operation determination, opportunely settle incidents, and protect localities.

Military intelligence and recce to grasp enemies’ situation in border provinces and municipalities’ defensive zones take place in a large space with the involvement of both our forces and enemies. Our forces in charge of grasping enemies’ situation include recce units of infantry regiments under Provincial-level Military Commands (PMCs), military intelligence – recce sections of district-level military commands, and recce affiliates of the Militia and Self-Defence Force, the Public Security Force, the Border Guard Force, and friendly units. Military intelligence – recce units are tasked with grasping enemies’ intention of launching invasions of our country, collecting information about domestic opponents, related areas’ situation, and operations of friendly units and relevant localities, readily ambushing enemies’ crucial targets in front of our defensive zones, and performing other missions. Grasping enemies’ intent, plots, and artifices will enable us to properly develop and adjust our combat plans and determination to win victories in defensive operations, particularly in border provinces and municipalities.

It should be noted that during a Fatherland protection war (if war is to occur), especially in its initial phase, when enemies’ intent, plots, and artifices are in secret, operations of the military intelligence – recce force becomes more important. Thus, researching into the raised quality and effectiveness of the military intelligence – recce force in combat in general, defensive combat of border provinces and municipalities in particular in a Fatherland protection war represents a matter of utmost importance at all strategic, operational, and tactical levels. This article puts forward a number of solutions for this field.

1. Sufficiently, elaborately prepare human resources right in peacetime, prior to assignment, and during defensive operations. The provincial-level military intelligence – recce force is consisted of many components performing various functions and tasks. More specifically, people’s military intelligence and campaign-level espionage units regularly grasp enemies’ situation in both peacetime and wartime. Infantry recce units grasp enemies’ situation when a war breaks out. Special task recce units perform tasks of paramount importance entrusted by provinces and municipalities. Thus, commanders must base on specific tasks to prepare sufficient, good-quality human resources in accordance with each unit’s organisational structure, each area’s particularities, each speciality’s strong points, and the requirements of military intelligence and recce.

To fulfil their assigned tasks, party committees and commands of military intelligence – recce units must frequently sufficiently consolidate their units’ organisational structure in a compact, strong manner, while holding political education and combat training courses for troops. Great value should be attached to improving professional competence of troops from people’s military intelligence, campaign-level espionage, infantry recce, and special task recce units. During defensive operations of border provinces and municipalities, military intelligence – recce units are often divided into small teams relatively independent from leadership and direction of their party committees and commands. Hence, importance should be attached to screening troops’ political background and building up troops’ political steadfastness and absolute loyalty to our Party, State, Military, people, and socialist regime. Emphasis should be placed on improving troops’ self-discipline and determination to overcome difficulties and successfully fulfil all tasks. Commanders and political cadres must clearly introduce tasks to troops, well perform party and political work prior to, during, and after each task and battle, opportunely grasp troops’ ideological development, and build cadres and soldiers’ determination to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks.

2. Enhance command and direction work of PMCs and superior military intelligence – recce offices. As the military intelligence – recce force within border provinces and municipalities’ defensive zones has to take charge of many difficult, complex, dangerous targets and tasks, it is vital to strengthen command and direction work of PMCs and superior military intelligence – recce offices. Commanders of PMCs must direct heads of provincial-level military intelligence offices to assign targets and tasks to sections and build up troops’ combat determination. Due attention should be paid to inspecting and managing the implementation of recce plans, and anticipating situations and enemies’ offensives against our defensive zones. At the same time, heads of provincial-level military intelligence offices must closely command troops to perform their tasks, particularly those who are in charge of grasping enemies’ situation on the front. Regulations on reporting enemies’ situation to superior military intelligence agencies and relevant offices and units should be maintained.

Grounded on defensive combat task and determination, heads of provincial-level military intelligence offices should direct the military intelligence – recce force to grasp enemies’ situation both inside and outside our border, make and deliver reports on enemies’ situation to commanders, prepare and submit recce plans to higher echelons, design and issue military intelligence – recce orders approved by chiefs of staff to relevant units, and develop plans on recce coordination with districts, friendly units, and higher echelons. Besides, due regard should be paid to directing units to carefully prepare weapons, equipment, and food. Provincial-level military intelligence offices must strengthen their direct command and direction over important recce tasks. To do so, commanders and heads of military intelligence – recce offices must master defensive combat determination, enhance inspection work to detect drawbacks in the performance of tasks, opportunely adjust and augment recce forces and means to most effectively grasp enemies’ situation.

3. Closely maintain coordination between military intelligence – recce forces within provincial-level defensive zones to create an extensive, comprehensive, uniform recce network and provide necessary information for one another. Military intelligence and recce in operations of border provinces and municipalities’ defensive zones often take place in a large space with the involvement of various forces, such as military intelligence – recce units of the Ministry of National Defence and Military Regions, recce affiliates of units stationed in areas and the militia and self-defence force. Thus, commanders must identify contents of coordination, each force’s scale, goal, and task of grasping enemies’ situation, forms and methods of recce, operating areas of each force, and methods of report, information exchange, and communication among  forces. Moreover, coordination must be maintained to set up places for handing over prisoners of war, surrendered troops, and enemy documents as well as for concealing our wounded and dead soldiers. Heads of military intelligence – recce offices must base on enemies’ situation, local armed forces’ combat methods, and specific time to properly apply methods of coordination (possibly at meetings on maps, physical models, or the ground); in case of urgency, coordination could be facilitated via documents, means of communication, or dispatch of cadres to each unit. Besides, recce forces operating close to one another could proactively maintain coordination when grasping enemies’ situation.

4. Ensure support for the military intelligence – recce force’s operation. Commanders must grasp and seriously maintain regulations on preventing infiltration and keeping absolute secrecy of operational intent, time, and areas. During operation, due attention should be paid to making elaborate preparations, carrying only necessary items, actively employing camouflaging and diversionary tactics, and removing traces of personnel, weapons, and equipment. Staff members of special task recce, people’s military intelligence, and campaign-level espionage forces working in areas controlled by enemies must seek their cover to maintain secrecy, safety, and effectiveness.

Border provinces and municipalities’ defensive operation could take place for a long time and in a severe fashion together with enemies’ high-intensity electronic warfare to cause us difficulties in communication; meanwhile, our military intelligence – recce force’s signal equipment is still limited. Thus, commanders and military intelligence – recce units must cooperate with the signal force in maintaining smooth communication between superiors and subordinates, among  components themselves, and among relevant forces. Cadres and soldiers must master the specifications  of our  communication equipment, particularly our radio networks, enemies’ electronic warfare, our local armed forces’ combat characteristics in the highly developed people’s war posture, and impacts of border provinces and municipalities’ topographical and climate conditions in order to take advantage of strengths of our communication networks and successfully fulfil their assigned tasks. Moreover, due regard should be paid to providing logistics, technical, and chemical support for all forces as well as maintaining and effectively exploiting the existing equipment. It is essential to proactively recommend local party committees and authorities to make more investments in the building and operation of people’s military intelligence bases and equip infantry and special task recce units with modern specialised equipment and weapons so that they could enhance their capacity to grasp enemies’ situation.

The military intelligence – recce force’s grasp of enemies’ situation plays a role of importance to land border provinces and municipalities’ defensive operation and acts as a determinant to the defence of areas. Therefore, researching into solutions to improve the task performance of this force during a Fatherland protection war represents a matter of urgency to our Military.

Sr. Col. NGUYEN VAN HAU, PhD, Deputy Chief of Staff of Military Region 4