Grasping Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022, by the Central Military Commission (CMC) on raising the quality of training in the period of 2023 - 2030 and beyond, the Signal Corps has been adopting drastic, synchronised measures for its training work, thereby improving its synergy and combat power, meeting the requirements of building the Signal Corps itself towards modernity.

Fully aware of the importance of the military communication system and the decisive role of training work in raising synergy and combat power, building the Signal Corps towards modernity under the Resolutions of the 13^th National Party Congress and the 11^th Military Party Congress, over the years, the Signal Corps’ Party Committee and Command have grasped resolutions, directives, and conclusions by the CMC and the Ministry of National Defence on training and combat readiness, particularly the CMC’s Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022, on raising the quality of training in the period of 2023 - 2030 and beyond. They have focused on leading and directing offices and units under the Corps’ management as well as the entire military signal force to perform training work via drastic, synchronised measures, thus obtaining many encouraging results.

Commander of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army encourage signal troops during a training contest (photo: qdnd.vn)

Notably, awareness and a sense of responsibility among cadres, employees, and soldiers towards training work have been gradually raised; training content, programs, forms, and methods have been reformed; schools have accomplished the development of learning outcome standards and competencies for groups of cadets under the motto “training quality of schools is the combat readiness capacity of units”. Offices and units have step by step improved the quality of designing training plans and adjusting training programs to ensure smooth communication in any situations, while enhancing their capacity to effectively exploit their existing, new technical equipment. Moreover, offices and units have trained their troops to ensure communication in complex environments, hi-tech warfare, and high-intensity electronic warfare, increasing manoeuvre, night-time, and field training, organising communication exercises in the condition of electronic warfare, with good results. Offices and units have also successfully held maps-based and field exercises, ensuring communication and television support for joint, strategic, and campaign-level exercises, making contributions to raising the quality of communication, meeting the requirements of Fatherland protection in the new situation.    

In the upcoming time, the Signal Corps will continue to accelerate “the Strategy for military communication system development in the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision towards 2045 (amended, supplemented); the military communication system will have both deep and wide developments, with new, modern equipment, thus imposing higher requirements on the Corps’ training work. Meanwhile, the technological lifecycle of equipment is now shorter; budget for training work is limited; cadres and especially new graduates have limited hands-on experience and skills in training work. Hence, offices and units of the Corps together with the entire military signal force should continue to grasp and effectively implement the CMC’s Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022, on raising the quality of training in the period of 2023 - 2030 and beyond via scientific, proper measures, with a focus on the following.

First, strengthening all-level party committees and commands’ leadership and direction over training work. This is also the first directing viewpoint set by the CMC’s Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022; it acts as a deciding factor in the training quality of offices and units, including the Signal Corps. Thus, all-level party committees and commands of signal units across the entire Military should continue to grasp higher echelons’ resolutions, guidance, and directives on combat training, especially the CMC’s Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW and the Corps Party Committee’s Resolution 482-NQ/ĐU, dated 30 March 2023, on raising the quality of training in the period of 2023 - 2030 and beyond. Training should be seen as a routine, central political task placed under the direct leadership of party committees and the management and operation of commanders, political commissars, and junior political commissars at all levels; it should also be regarded as a duty of all organisations, cadres, party members, employees, and soldiers. At the same time, all-level party committees and commands should set specific training targets in their regular resolutions and training plans in accord with their offices and units’ particularities and task requirements. In the process, it is necessary to delegate responsibilities for preparation and organisation of training work and take training outcome as a basic criterion for yearly task performance assessments of party committees, commanders, political commissars, junior political commissars, party organisations, and party members. At the same time, it is essential to enhance inspection and re-inspection of training work, regularly carry out preliminary and final reviews of training work in a serious way, opportunely commend and multiply typical examples, and strictly handle violations of regulations on this work. Roles and responsibilities of all party committees, commands, cadres, and party members should be promoted to achieve uniformity in terms of awareness and action towards the performance of training work.

Tasks-based, situations-based training by the Signal Corps

Second, building a contingent of cadres in charge of training work with comprehensive capabilities. Realties of recent armed conflicts worldwide have revealed that the signal force in general, the military signal force in particular play a role of paramount importance; meanwhile, the task of Fatherland protection has new developments and more complex requirements. That situation necessitates the Signal Corps continuing to develop a pool of cadres with comprehensive capabilities in staff work and implementation of training tasks under the spirit of Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW. To do so, the Corps will direct signal offices and units across the entire Military to well conduct the planning and rotation of training cadres among offices, units, and schools, combine the organisation of refresher courses with the raised quality of in-service training, and heighten self-study among cadres in charge of training work. Specialised training courses should be intensified to improve technical staff’s capacity to master modern communication equipment for training work across the whole Corps. Besides, due attention should be paid to promoting international cooperation in personnel training and expanding relations with major partners and countries having advanced science and technology to gain experience in education and training. Doing so will help gradually improve capabilities of cadres in charge of performing training work and ensuring timely, smooth communication for regular, irregular tasks and combat readiness in any situations.

Third, focusing on renewing content and methods of training in accordance with new developments of weapons, equipment, and assigned tasks. This is one of the main tasks and measures set by Resolution 1659-NQ/QUTW and should continue to be grasped and effectively executed. To that end, the Corps will continue to direct its offices and units to adhere to the training motto of “basics, practicality, solidity”, organise synchronised, specialised training courses, and master their new, existing technical equipment. Content and methods of training should be standardised and modernised to be relevant to each unit’s organisational structure, equipment, and combat projects. Great value should be attached to improving all-level cadres’ capabilities in command and staff work as well as in management, operation, and exploitation of communication systems. Units at detachment level should concentrate on training their troops to master their existing, modern equipment, turning their troops into experts in ensuring both traditional and mobile communication. By 2030, all specialised training sections must be rated good or excellent; all mobile signal units at detachment level across the entire Military must reach the level of “eliteness” and must be capable of flexibly manoeuvring in all terrain and weather conditions and ensuring timely, smooth communication for all situations, tasks, and areas. Great weight should be added to applying technology and digital transformation to the management and operation of training work in a “focalised, uniform, synchronised” manner “without any overlaps”, clearly delegating duties to each level and sector, and encouraging staff work, guidance, and coordination among offices, units, and schools in education and training.

Offices and units should closely combine training with political steadfastness enhancement, regularity building, and discipline management, while education and training at schools should be aligned with units’ combat training process. Importance should be attached to sharing experiences in combat and training work and regularly holding contests to correctly assess cadres’ performance of training work, opportunely detect drawbacks, quickly draw lessons, and raise the quality of training.

Fourth, better providing logistics and technical support for training work. The Corps’ Party Committee and Command will direct offices and units to efficiently use budget and invest in facilities for education and training. In this regard, priority should be given to upgrading specialised training halls, developing modern communication simulation systems, applying information technology and digital transformation in education and training, tapping all resources to construct shooting ranges and training grounds. By 2030, sufficient tactical training grounds will be provided for the Corps’ affiliated units at battalion level and above. In addition, the quality of logistics and technical support for training should be raised; the technical coefficient of weapons and equipment for training should be guaranteed to avoid any violations of safety regulations. Last but not least, offices and units should actively promote technical initiatives and innovations to design more products for training work, laying a solid foundation for building a “revolutionary, regular, elite, modern” Signal Corps capable of successfully accomplishing all assigned tasks.

Sr. Col. VU NGOC KHUONG

Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Signal Corps