The Naval Commando Brigade 126 is a “special elite” combat unit of the Navy. In recent years, in response to the increasingly higher requirements of defending the national sovereignty over seas and islands, the Brigade’s task has witnessed new developments; it has both performed the training work and maintained readiness for the defence of national sovereignty and key targets of national defence and economy at sea and other contingency missions. To fulfil all assigned tasks, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have implemented various measures synchronously, effectively. The centrepiece of those measures has been legal propagation, dissemination and education associated with discipline management.

Naval commandos in search and rescue

Grasping directives and regulations by the Ministry of National Defence and the Naval Command on legal propagation, dissemination and education, the Brigade’s Party Committee has issued a special resolution and assigned the Brigade’s Deputy Commissar to be in charge of this work. At the same time, the Brigade has frequently consolidated its Council for Legal Dissemination and Education. The Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have considered legal dissemination and education as a very important content of political education and ideological management aimed at building troops’ political zeal, determination and self-awareness to comply with discipline, stressing that all-level party committees and commands would be responsible for this work. Offices and units have been required to closely follow higher echelons’ direction and guidance to develop their detailed programmes and plans for legal propagation, dissemination and education in accordance with each group of troops. In the process, they have promoted the role of party committees, commanders and political cadres at all levels, thereby achieving a huge positive change in troops’ observance of discipline.

To ensure the effectiveness of law and discipline education, the Brigade has adhered to its preset programme for legal dissemination and education. It should be noted that the Brigade has various groups of troops with different educational background and they are usually scattered. Therefore, it has directed its affiliates to carefully select the contents of legal education in accordance with each group of troops, particularly Waterborne Commando, Commando Frogmen, Anti-Terrorism Task Force and troops stationed at sea and on islands. Units have introduced legal normative documents, decrees, circulars and guiding documents by the State, the Ministry of National Defence and the Naval Command to their cadres and soldiers. In this regard, focus has been placed on the National Defence Law of 2018, the Cyber Security Law of 2018, the Law on Denunciation in 2018, the Law on Vietnam Coast Guard in 2018, the Law on Corruption Prevention and Combat in 2018, the Law on Protection of State Secrets in 2018, the Law on Road Traffic in 2008, the Government’s Decree 162/2013/NĐ-CP, dated November 12^th, 2013 on penalties for administrative violations committed within territorial waters, islands and continental shelf of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Circular 183/2017/TT-BQP, dated August 4^th, 2017 by Minister of National Defence on speech and provision of information for the press within the Ministry of National Defence. In addition, the Brigade has disseminated the Resolution by the Naval Party Committee Standing Board on “enhancing discipline, building military standard order, and renewing working method to meet the task requirements in the new situation” and the Decision 7327 by the Navy’s Commander on “strengthening measures for managing troops, building military standard order and ensuring safety.” It has also educated its troops on several points relating to training and combat readiness of the specialised forces and traffic safety as well. Doing so has allowed it to equip its troops with basic knowledge of the State’s law, the Military’s discipline, and the regulations by the Navy and their units.

The Brigade has asked its affiliates to actively renew the method of legal education so that it would be attractive, effective and easy to understand and remember. Yearly, it invites cadres of the Navy’s Procuracy, Court, Judgement Enforcement, and Criminal Investigation to deliver legal topics to its cadres and soldiers. Besides, it has diversified forms and methods of legal propagation, dissemination and education, organised legal knowledge contests, newspaper reading and TV watching sessions, visits, dialogues and forums, conducted legal propagation via internal radio systems and posters, and included legal education in ceremonies to celebrate national holidays and units’ traditional days as well as in exchange programmes with localities in its stationed areas. It has directed its units and offices to effectively exploit legal bookcases, frequently supplement legal books, newspapers and documents, and alternate books among themselves for cadres and soldiers to read. Units within the Brigade have maintained the order for Legal Study Day on a monthly basis to introduce new documents, particularly on military-defence task, policies, discipline management and military standard order building as well as to provide timely information about violations of discipline and traffic accidents within the Military, the Navy and units. Furthermore, the Brigade has required its affiliates to combine legal propagation, dissemination and education with the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW, the Campaign entitled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers - Naval soldiers in the new period” and other movements, such as “maintaining unity and coordination, determinedly defending the national sovereignty over seas and islands,” “the youth plays a vanguard role in the fight against crime, narcotic, and prostitution” and “building a healthy cultural environment within the Military.” It has proactively cooperated with localities in conducting sea and island-related propagation and introducing legal regulations on preventing and combating social evils. It has frequently provided information about political security and social order and safety within the country, the Military and the Navy, while opportunely orientating cadres and soldiers’ ideology and action prior to significant political events. Doing so has enabled the Brigade to prevent its cadres and soldiers from violating law and discipline and make a positive change in their compliance with the State’s law, the Military’s discipline and units’ regulations.

In order to achieve a positive change in troops’ awareness and action, the Brigade has directed its affiliates to closely combine legal education with discipline management. Offices and units have stringently maintained the regulations on military standard order building and discipline management, while closely combining training and combat readiness with discipline management. They have strengthened inspection of troops’ observance of the regulations on alcohol and smoking and ensured training and traffic safety. They have also effectively carried out movements and models, such as “the Naval youth promotes an exemplary role in building the military standard order,” “more than one,” “legal study group,” “one helpful legal question and answer on a daily basis,” “one article and legal question on a weekly basis,” and “party members give assistance to the masses,” while introducing the documents entitled “possible ideological situations within units and how cadres respond to them,” thereby making a solid positive change in troops’ compliance with law and discipline. Commanders at all levels have closely inspected and managed facilities, materials, weapons and technical equipment to prevent fire, explosion and incident, heightened a sense of responsibility for managing troops, particularly in days off and rest hours and on national and Tet holidays, and grasped soldiers with negative signs to adopt proper measures for management and education. Offices and units have grasped the internal political situation and public opinions, cooperated with soldiers’ families and local authorities in managing troops’ ideology, opportunely detected and strictly handled violations. They have resolutely prevented their cadres and soldiers from committing social evils and violations of discipline and regulations on traffic and training safety. As a result, a majority of cadres and soldiers have always complied with the State’s law, the Military’s discipline and the regulations by the Navy and the Brigade. In 2019, the Brigade witnessed no serious violation of discipline while the rate of normal discipline violations was below 0.2%. The Brigade’s Party Organisation was typically pure and strong, the Brigade was recognised as a comprehensively strong unit, and mass organisations were rated excellently strong. The Brigade was given the Emulation Flag by the Ministry of National Defence. It won 2 prizes (the First Prize in the Mass Arts Festival and another First Prize in the Physical Exercise and Sports Competition at regiment and brigade level held by the Navy). It was also given 5 certificates of merit by the Navy as well as 1 flag and 2 certificates of merit by the Commando Corps. 5 collectives within the Brigade were given the title of Determination to Win Unit. Over 400 individuals within the Brigade were presented with the title of Grass-Roots Level Emulation Soldier and Good Soldier while more than 200 collectives and individuals were issued with certificates of merit of various types. In the Programme “Light of Faith” on the 90^th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3^rd, 2020) held by the Central Propanda and Education Commission, the Brigade’s Party Organisation was commended as a typical grass-roots level party organisation.

In the upcoming time, the Naval Commando Brigade 126’s Party Committee and Command will continue effectively conducting the work of legal propagation, dissemination and education as the basis for maintaining discipline, building an exemplary, typical strong unit, unceasingly raising the synergy and combat strength, successfully fulfilling all assigned missions, and making contributions to managing and defending the national sovereignty over seas and islands in all situations.

Senior Captain TRAN VAN NGHIA, Commissar of the Naval Commando Brigade 126