In a potential patriotic war to defend the Motherland, to achieve success in countering the enemy’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Ground Force Air Defence units must carry out comprehensive tasks. Among these, party and political work play a vital role in the development of resolute and determined officers and soldiers with strong principles, unwavering determination, and a resilient fighting spirit, capable of overcoming all challenges and excellently fulfilling their duties.

In combat in general, and ground force operations in particular, ground force air defence units are the primary contingents responsible for countering aerial threats to protect combined arms formations and critical objectives within provincial and city defence areas. In the event of a patriotic defensive war (if it occurs), the primary focus of this force is to engage the enemy's modern airborne assets, which boast high mobility, advanced technological weaponry, substantial destructive power, and sophisticated, extensive electronic and cyber warfare capabilities. Among these assets, UAVs are increasingly prevalent and represent a particularly dangerous high threat in combat. Therefore, alongside the effective organisation, preparation, and execution of combat activities, the Ground Force Air Defence units must implement a coordinated approach to enhance the effectiveness of party and political work, maintain and promote the role of political and spiritual elements, and improve overall quality of all aspects and fighting capability to counter UAVs effectively, successfully fulfilling assigned combat tasks. Drawing from research and practical experience from past national resistance wars, this article proposes some key issues and solutions regarding party and political work as follow:

First, determine correct leadership principles and approaches and combat plans, encourage the “dare to fight, know how to fight, willing to fight and success” mentality among the troops. The fundamental characteristic of drone warfare is its rapid and complex nature, a lack of clear frontlines, with no spatial or temporal, and can cause significant damages, which can critically impact the morale of our troops. Consequently, the party committees of Ground Force Air Defence units need to deeply grasp the resolutions, directives, and orders from higher authorities regarding their combat missions, and correctly assess and analyse relevant situations to establish precise leadership principles and approaches in counter-UAVs missions. This is a matter of utmost importance, as it forms the foundation for command at all levels to define their leadership philosophy, combat intentions, and the organisation, deployment, and utilisation of forces in alignment with the capabilities and strengths of each unit.

At the same time, party committees and commands of all level need to focus on educating their troops to have a clear understanding of the enemy they are facing along with their motives, tactics, and accurately assess the capabilities of the enemy’s UAVs, particularly their strengths and weaknesses to avoid being surprised or passive response when combat occurs. It is crucial to highlight the advantages and challenges in combat so that the troops do not underestimate the enemy. Simultaneously, they need to overcome any sense of inferiority and overestimation regarding the capability of the enemy’s UAVs. In addition, it is essential to actively propagating and instilling a strong sense of patriotism in every officer and soldier, making them fully understand the tradition of defiance, the heroic history of our military, and the Ground Force Air Defence Arms. This involves linking their patriotic sentiment with a love for socialist ideals, igniting their hatred for the enemy, and preparing them to accept sacrifice and hardship, to face modern weapons and equipment, and upholding the mottos “aim straight at the enemy” and “unravel noises to hunt for the enemy” to stay calm in any situations in countering UAVs. Additionally, it is crucial to help the troops have a correct understanding of the relationship between the human factor and weaponry and equipment. In this regard, the human factor plays a decisive role, while weaponry and equipment have a critical role. Regardless of how advanced the enemy’s UAVs may be, they still have limitations that we can exploit and counter. This reinforces the confidence of officers and soldiers in our existing human resources, weaponry, equipment, and Vietnamese military art.

Second, proactively enhance force organisation, maintain and strengthen the leadership of the party committees, and leverage the roles of political commissars and commanding officers in combat. This is a crucial solution, a guiding principle that can decide the success in counter-UAV missions. Therefore, the party committees and commanding officers of Air Defence Units should reorganise their structures, their formations, with a special focus on party organisations and command structures. They should prioritise selecting competent and experienced officers who meet the requirements and combat tasks. Special attention should be given to reconnaissance units responsible for detecting and directly engaging UAVs. To achieve this, the political agencies should regularly grasp the missions and the quality of the officer corps to arrange them in accordance with the operational mechanisms of the organisations, adhering to the principle of “elite, compact, and efficient”. This involves reducing intermediate levels of command to ensure centralised and unified leadership with rapid response and rapid decision-making, capable of harnessing the flexibility and creativity of each unit and individual. Simultaneously, it is crucial to maintain and reinforce the leadership of the party committees and party organisations in building and executing tactics for countering the enemy’s UAVs. This requires the implementation of a hierarchical leadership and command structure in combat units, the assignment of party committee members to supervise each direction or area, monitoring and staying engaged with the troops throughout the combat process. Also, there is a need for regular reviews of the quantity and quality of party members and leadership positions to make timely adjustments and additions to party organisations with priority for forward units and those tasked with missions in key areas and remote regions, etc.

To maintain and strengthen the leadership role of the Party, it is essential to strictly adhere to the principles of democratic centralism, collective leadership, coupled with individual assignments. In urgent combat situations where convening party committee (or standing committee) meetings is not feasible, the commander must coordinate and exchange decisions with the political commissar to issue timely orders to the units engaging the enemy; and such orders must be reported to the Party committee after that. In addition, leadership methods should be adjusted to closely align with each situation and mission, the realities of combat and characteristics of each area of operation to ensure the successful implementation of the chosen combat method. Particularly in intense situations in which direct confrontation with the enemy’s UAVs is inevitable, officers, party members, especially those in leadership roles such as political commissars at all levels, must uphold a pioneering and exemplary role in combat. They must serve as shining examples to inspire the troops to fight with determination, overcome all challenges, and successfully fulfill their duties.

Third, closely monitor the reality of combat and promptly address negative mentalities to maintain the fighting morale of our troops and their determination to defeat enemy UAVs, ensuring the safety of assigned targets. Naturally, it is expected that our potential adversaries will surely deploy modern weaponry to inflict significant losses in personnel, material assets, and equipment to us. The process of countering the enemy’s UAVs will involve numerous complex and challenging situations that can result in sudden developments in the course of the battle. As a result, the party committees and commanding officers of Air Defence units must frequently monitor their units’ performance, the situation and the combat outcome. In particular, they should have clear understanding of the troops’ mentality to provide timely encouragement and motivation to maintain the fighting morale for each individual and the entire unit while resolutely criticise those individuals and groups who show reluctance in the face of difficulties and hardships or fail to complete their assigned tasks. To accomplish this, party committee members must regularly report combat situations in their assigned direction, especially shifts in the troops’ thinking, to the party committee and political commissar to adjust leadership approaches and fighting methods in coordination with the commanding officers. They must promptly encourage the troops to retain their determination to fight against the enemy’s UAVs. Simultaneously, they should frequently update the extent of the damage inflicted by enemy’s UAVs on our compatriots in the combat areas, provide timely news of victories and share experience learned from combat to fortify the troops’ determination to continue fighting. Furthermore, it is essential to proactively study the enemy and focus efforts on defeating all of the enemy’s psychological warfare tactics, maintaining the fighting spirit of the troops. Concerning the internal dynamics of units, it is crucial to promptly identify signs of wavering morale, fear of hardship and sacrifice, as well as the tendencies towards oversimplification, haste, carelessness, complacency, and decreased vigilance, which may lead to psychological shocks in the face of enemy-induced losses. Also, timely encouragement, dissemination of successful combat experiences, and collective and individual commendations for effective combat performance are essential in mobilising the highest strength of the unit in countering the enemy’s UAVs to protect assigned targets and accomplish combat missions.

Fourth, focus leadership efforts on effectively carrying out the work of political security, civil affairs, and Military family support policies. During combat operations, the enemy will seek to undermine us on all fronts, with the aim of causing division within our rank and gradually eroding the combat readiness of Ground Force Air Defence units. They may plant sleeping agents to gather intelligence, conduct sabotaging activities, and organise target reconnaissance for strikes. Consequently, party committees and leadership at all levels must effectively carry out the work of internal political security, particularly in critical positions, and implement counter-psychological warfare measures. They should proactively cooperate with the local party committees and authorities in combat zones to maintain the security of the area, promptly detect infiltrators, saboteurs, and spies, and conceal vital targets from enemy reconnaissance. In every air defense combat situation, human, weaponry and equipment losses are inevitable. Therefore, contingency plans must be in place to address the losses caused by the enemy. When drafting these plans, it is critical to adhere to the principle of “combining on-site and mobile forces with clearly defined responsibilities”. Ground Force Air Defence units should plan to collaborate closely with the assigned defence zone to effectively implement policies regarding martyrs and war invalids, particularly in the aspects of caring for, treating, visiting, and consoling veterans, burying martyrs, and organising the transportation of severely wounded combatants to designated rear locations. These tasks hold immense political and social significance, directly impacting the morale, mentality, and combat capabilities of the military, and particularly affect the well-being of the families of the troops, both immediate and in the long run. These responsibilities also represent the moral duty of every Ground Force Air Defence officer and soldier towards their comrades and compatriots who have suffered from enemy aggression during combat. To leverage the collective strength in combat, Ground Force Air Defence units must maintain a close collaboration with other forces within the defence zone. They must effectively implement civil affairs work to maximise on-site resources for the support activities in combat operations, including tasks such as ammunition transportation, treating wounded soldiers, handling martyrdom affairs, etc.

The issues and solutions mentioned above are initial research findings and should be further developed and deeply investigated in line with real-world scenarios. Furthermore, their effective application should be integrated into the party and political work of Ground Force Air Defence units during counter-UAV combat operations.

Senior Colonel, Dr. NGUYEN CONG TUE, Head of the Combined Arms Department, Military Political Academy