Manoeuvre is the highest training form with significant meaning in training and enhancing commanding capability of commanders at all levels, technical and tactical level and combat ordination of forces, directly contributing to improving combat strength of the entire unit.

On the basis of thoroughly grasping Resolution No. 765-NQ/QUTW by the Central Military Commission on “Improving training quality in the 2013-2020 period and beyond”, over the past years, the Party Committee of Division 325 (hereafter the Division) under Army Corps 2 (the Corps) has paid special attention to leading and directing manoeuvres  at all levels and considered this as one of the breakthroughs in renovating and improving the training quality of the Division. Accordingly, together with the focus on well doing the preparation work in terms of manpower, materiel and facilities, the Division has actively researched and renovated manoeuvre contents and methods. In particular, attention has been paid to adjusting and supplementing contents close to the objects, plans and stationed area in the context that enemy uses hi-tech weapons. The Division has developed plans of aggregate tactical manoeuvres and command and staff ones both on the map and in the field, especially in new terrains and diversified forms of tactics, in line with the organizational structure, equipment, development of the situation, requirements and tasks, and the Corps’ intentions of operation.

In preparation for the force manoeuvre

In the aggregate manoeuvres, the units have implemented the tactical contents combined with matching from 70km to 80km through different types of terrains and conducting river-crossing exercise, ensuring close to combat reality so as to enhance physical endurance of the troops. In the past five years, 100% of company and battalion-level aggregate tactical manoeurves and one-side one-level and one-side two-level command and staff ones both on the map and in the field have been rated good; shooting exercises have been rated distinction, ensuring absolute safety. In particular, in the recent DT-17 manoeuvre, the Division’s forces have successfully accomplished the task of conducting combined services and arms live-firing manoeuvre, having been praised and highly appreciated by the leaders of the Party, State and Ministry of National Defence.

Regardless of the achieved results, the Division’s manoeuvre work has also exposed a number of limitations, not yet met the set objectives and requirements especially in formulating manoeuvre plans for preventing and fighting against hi-tech weapons as well as cooperating with local defensive zone force. Facing the requirements of reality, the Division’s tasks have witnessed remarkable development, laying out many new issues including combat training in general and tactical manoeuvres in particular. In the scope of this article, a number of solutions aiming to improve the Division’s quality of combat manoeuvres  will be discussed.

As known, at the infantry division-level, the main form of command and staff manoeuvres is one side - one level or one side - two levels in quite large areas. Meanwhile, due to various reasons, the manoeuvre plans at all levels of the Division have been basically developed in the familiar combat grounds. Therefore, the enemy-related elements were subjective; commanders were not placed into the environment close to the combat reality. This would not fully promote the positiveness and activeness as well as train the staff and commanders’ advisory and decision-making capacities. In most manoeuvres, there was a bias in the use of participating forces. Logistic and technical forces mainly performed the role of guarantee without many “acting” contents associated with the actions of forces in combat formation, etc. To overcome the afore-mentioned drawbacks, the Division has been studying, supplementing and improving the system of manoeuvre documents at all levels. The focus has been placed in studying, compiling and perfecting the system of manoeuvre plans and documents of aggregate tactic exercises and command and staff ones in the direction of diversifying forms tactics. Due attention has been also paid to surveying and developing manoeuvre plans in new areas and ensuring comprehensive contents for both combat forces and support ones. Along with that, to conduct manoeuvres closely with combat reality, promote the positiveness, activeness and creativity of commanders and staff, and improve the capacities of commanding, coordinating and handling situations in preparing and practising tactical combat, it is time to study and carry out manoeuvres in the antagonistic form for commanders and staff. To this end, it requires elaborate preparations in both formulating plans and training and instructing participating forces.

In case of Fatherland protection war (if occurred), facing enemy with the advantage of hi-tech weapons, increasingly sophisticated and modern reconnaissance capability, open electronic warfare, and fast mobility, very high requirements would be imposed for the Division during the war, especially the ones of camouflage, diversionary tactics and mobility. Being fully aware of this matter, the Division has focused on the structure of elements and situations of enemy using hi-tech weapons. However, this new content has mainly been given in the general theory form with generally unchanged situations. Therefore, the practicality has been still limited; the “actions” of cadres and troops have just been at a certain degree. In order to overcome this problem, the Division will continue to study, supplement and perfect the training contents. In particular, due regard is paid to adding the issues and situations of mobility, prevention, counter-attack, camouflage, and electronic warfare prevention and fighting, etc. First and foremost, the Division attaches weight to studying and strengthening mobility exercises in aggregate tactical manoeuvres and combined services and arms ones at various scales in the direction of gradually increasing the level of difficulty in harsh terrains and weather. The focus is placed on creating situations of force mobility in conjunction with prevention and counter attack against enemy’s firepower and the exercises of crossing rivers and cooperating with the Corps’ forces in mobilizing by motor vehicles in the field and in long distance, etc. In order to reach the goal, in the coming time, the Division directs agencies and units to pay attention to the above contents right in the training process; strengthening the combination of mobility and river-crossing training with search and rescue exercises in the rainy season, raising the practicality; actively researching, developing and applying lessons learned from the “lightening” mobility of the Corps and the Division in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign into exercises and manoeurves. Besides, it is possible to proactively research and apply scientific and technological advances combined with manual and on-spot measures to fully implement the contents of camouflage, diversionary tactics in each stage and each situation. In particular, in order to improve signal force’s skills of preventing and fighting against enemy’s reconnaissance and electronic warfare, the Corps’ functional agencies should study and deploy a specialized electronic warfare force in the Division’s manoeurves.

B41 anti-tank gun is fired

Being the main unit of Corps 2, the Division will serve as the core of key and decisive strategic-level battles in the strategic direction in the highly developed people’s war posture. Thus, in conjunction with other forces, the ordination and cooperation with the local armed forces during the operation is of great significance. Being well aware of that, the Division has always paid due attention to this at all levels. However, due to various causes, in most manoeuvres conducted by the Division, this content was just at the imagination and intention of military morphology without much practice in reality. In order to enhance the level and capability of coordination and cooperation betweem regular troops and local armed forces, functional agencies should advise Ministry of National Defence on directing the combination of the main units’ manoeurves with the defensive zone ones at their level.

The developments of science and technology, especially the fourth industrial revolution, require us to enhance the application of scientific and technological achievements in military and national defence activities, including training and manoeuvre ones.

However, at present, in manoeuvres, especially in the Division’s command -staff ones, as well as in many units in the whole army, the application of information technology has been limited, not yet playing the full role of science and technology. This is mainly due to the limited human resources, infrastructure system and information technology equipment. In the time to come, the Division will pursue the policy on further promoting the application of information technology into manoeurves, first and foremost into command and staff ones with the application of software for the sake of combat, such as: digital map, 3D simulation, and software for staff and command, and specialization calculation. Successfully implementing this policy will create a breakthrough in manoeurves, overcoming the restrictions on manoeuvre ground and training for commanders and staff the necessary skills on staff and command in the digital age. However, to this end, together with the strengthening of the training of information technology for cadres at all levels, especially the key ones, it is necessary to receive higher echelons’ regard and investment in terms of professional personnel, infrastructure, equipment and means of modern and synchronous information technology.

Improving the quality of manoeuvres is both a goal and an urgent need of special significance in enhancing combat capability and strength of the Army. This is an issue that needs to be paid attention, studied and developed, meeting the requirements of Fatherland protection in the new situation.

Col. Nguyen Thanh Pho, Commander of the Division