During a war to defend the Fatherland (if war is to occur), setting up combat posture would function as a fundamental, directly deciding factor in all forms of operations on the battlefield, including strategic offensive. Therefore, to successfully conduct this important type of strategic operation, we need to well manage a lot of issues; in this regard, the establishment of combat posture shall be thoroughly researched both theoretically and practically.

Wars around the world and in our national liberation cause revealed that posture plays a decisive role in the outcome of a battle. During operations, posture is a combination of relations that leads to the conditions and trends of development of warring parties, including form, balance of power, combat method, troops’ combat morale, and terrain of the theatre of war. Prior to a war, the two sides may have a balance of power. When operations are conducted, the combat posture of the two warring parties are reversed. More specifically, when the combat posture of one party is developed, that of the other will be weakened; if one side takes the initiative, the other will fall into passivity. Combat posture could be transformed from initiative into passivity or from offensive into defence. During operations, combat posture includes initiative, passivity, offensive, defence, siege and separation, isolation, development, and decline, all of which will form strong, weak, winning, and losing positions. Combat posture has a close connection with force, opportunity, and strategy. Posture is established only after force is formed. A powerful force could lead to a strong combat posture; nevertheless, it depends on which terrain that force is deployed, on how that force acts, on other elements, and on subjective and objective conditions of the two sides. When a combat posture has been formed already, the strength of the force will be qualitatively transformed as the basis for creating synergy to win a victory. Therefore, during operations, great value should be attached to creating combat posture, force, and opportunity as well as applying creative strategy.

Combat posture is the arrangement of troops and weapons on the battlefield under the selected strategy and combat method to bring into play the strength of combat forces and win a decisive victory. During operations, combat posture will not be fixed; it will always develop according to the specific confrontation between modes of strategic-level, operational-level, and tactical-level operations of the warring parties. Combat posture is considered as combat formation at tactical level and campaign arrangement at operational level, and strategic arrangement within the scope of a war.

Establishing combat posture is of utmost importance as an art, requiring commanders and offices of operations to creatively, flexibly apply military arts to each specific battle. Not only combat formation, they must also find out how to deploy and employ troops and means of operations properly so that with a certain force, it is possible to gain advantages and turn disadvantage into advantage. Notably, in the current context, strategic operations in general, strategic offensives in particular (if it is to occur) would take place in a large space, a long time, and different environments and terrains, with the simultaneous participation of various forces in many tasks. To deal with enemies using hi-tech weapons in a people’s war for Fatherland protection in the new conditions, establishing such combat posture becomes more important. The facts of  the resistance wars against the French and the US, aggressors show that when establishing strategic offensive combat posture, strategic staff offices took many issues into consideration, such as combat tasks, forces, opportunities, strengths and weaknesses of both the enemy and us as well as relevant terrain and weather conditions, thereby formulating the most appropriate methods of operations to change the war situation and ensure that we would become stronger and stronger, while the enemy would be weaker and weaker and get bogged down in defeats. From those facts, it is understandable that in order to set up combat posture for operations in general, strategic offensive operations in particular in a war to defend the Fatherland (if it is to occur), significance should be attached to creating our combat posture and destroying the enemy’s combat posture to take the initiative and ensure that we will be capable of fighting the enemy from the front, the back, and the flank, enticing the enemy to where we want, containing the enemy in the targeted place, and defeating the enemy in the chosen direction.

Currently, in order  to meet  the requirements of the  Fatherland protection, establishing strategic offensive combat posture requires the organisation and deployment of forces and means of war under a uniformed plan right in peacetime. That plan will continue to be adjusted and supplemented during defensive combat and strategic counter-offensive. Moreover, it is necessary to form inter-connected, complicated but flexible offensive combat posture in accordance with strategic operational resolution, bring into play strengths of fighting forces, combine political, economic, diplomatic activities, and conduct campaigns and operational and  strategic level offensives to fulfil all preset objectives. To that end, commanders and offices of operations should take several basic measures into account as follows.

1. Setting up combat posture  in accordance with strategic combat plan and resolution. This is the most important measure to create a complete, complex, close, solid, inter-connected combat posture and realise strategic combat intent. In this regard, commanding officers and offices of operations must adhere to their field commanders’ resolution and consider objects, areas, and tasks of combat to create and flexibly transform combat posture under a uniformed plan. In the establishment of combat posture, emphasis should be placed on strategic areas, offensive plans, and main offensive directions; however, importance should be also attached to other plans and directions to guarantee timely adjustment during operations. Various measures should be adopted to set up strategic offensive combat posture and ensure the safety of forces and the secrecy of each plan. Great weight should be added to establishing combat posture of the on-the-spot force (including the disposition of units within provincial-level defensive zones, units of military regions, and combat and combat support units of the Ministry of National Defence) as well as that of mobile units (including the disposition of main divisions and corps and units of combat services and arms). Besides, it is necessary to select appropriate areas for establishing combat posture as diversionary tactics to reduce losses caused by enemy firepower in strategic directions and battlefields. It is also essential to bring into play military regions’ defence and local defensive zones to prevent, besiege, and deeply, widely fight the enemy and maintain valuable areas.

2. Setting up solid, complicated, secret, surprising combat posture which has potential for both offensive and defence and could be flexibly transformed. This measure acts as a decisive factor in victory on the battlefield. Well implementing this measure will make the enemy unable to grasp our combat plans, and resolution; it will help us to maintain forces and means of combat, particularly in a war the enemy uses  modern reconnaissance systems and high-precision powerful weapons.

To establish a solid combat posture, there should be a close connection relating to the deployment of troops and means of war between forces in charge of defence, counter-offensive, and offensive, between ground force and services and arms, between firepower and forces, between forces in charge of fighting the enemy from flanks and behind, between local armed forces and main army corps of the Ministry, and between operations on the battlefield and other types of struggle. Due attention should be paid to organising close, uniformed command chains and coordination from tactical to strategic levels and providing sufficient facilities and technical and logistics materials to fight the enemy for a long time and in hard conditions.

Furthermore, keeping secret is vital to strategic offensive. Thus, when developing intent for strategic offensive, especially for combat posture, it is necessary to guarantee secrecy in terms of space, time, venue, force, and means as well as the element of surprise and potential for both defence and offensive. Strategic offensive will take place in a large space and many environments with the participation of many forces and means. Therefore, commanders, offices of operations, and participating units should deploy forces and equipment to the places vulnerable to the enemy so that when we launch an attack, the enemy will not take action opportunely. At the same time, it is necessary to satisfy requirements set by strategic operations in accordance with the situation of the enemy and us and ensure the possibility of transforming offensive into ambush and raid as well as deal with situations during combat.

3. Establishing our combat posture  and destroying the enemy’s one. Strategic offensive during a war to defend the Fatherland takes place in various domains (air, land, sea, and so on) and on all types of terrains (plain, midland, mountain, and river waters). Therefore, it is essential to deploy forces and means of war intertwined with those of the enemy in order to establish a complex combat posture capable of fighting the enemy at anytime and anywhere, besieging and isolating strategic targets of attack, and gradually pushing the enemy into disadvantage. To that end, commanders and offices of operations must devote efforts to creating favourable conditions in terms of terrain and operational environment to complete the initial combat posture , prepare another combat posture  favourable for the following operational activities, and destroy the enemy’s combat posture.

In addition, during operations, significance should be attached to setting up flexible, creative combat posture based on specific situation to be adjusted and supplemented properly. It is vital maintain close coordination between battlefields and localities to create our strength, disperse the enemy’s response, and prevent the enemy’s force movement into our main operational area. Weapons and equipment could be used to attack the enemy’s strategic targets and force the enemy to soon expose their intent and forces.

In a war to defend the Fatherland, our enemy will employ new method of combat, hi-tech weapons, modern means of combat; operations will take place in a large space and various environments. Thus, the above-mentioned measures to establish strategic offensive combat posture will be an important foundation for commanders and offices of operations to research, apply, and develop in the new condition.

Sr. Col. TRAN VIET TUAN, MA., National Defence Academy