The party and political work during combat training is an important element that profoundly impacts on the training and task performance of units. Fully aware of that, the Division 302 has paid attention to adopting measures synchronously, practically in accordance with the task requirements.

The Division 302 is the key unit of the Military Region 7 tasked with training and combat readiness, organizing training courses for the reserve forces, and maintaining readiness for taking part in natural disaster control, search and rescue, and other contingency missions. During the process of performing its tasks, the Division has received the leadership and direction of the Military Region’s Party Executive Committee and Command as well as the support of local party committees and authorities and friendly units. In recent years, the Ministry of National Defence and the Military Region have invested in building and upgrading the Division’s barracks and training grounds as well as improving its troops’ material and mental life. Besides, its contingent of cadres with basic educational level, the increased quality of new recruits, and the good cultural environment have provided favourable conditions for the Division to well perform the tasks. However, its organizational structure is not stable; there is a dearth of grass-roots level cadres; the quality of new recruits is different. In addition, the area’s political security situation has complex developments, such as illegal mission work, land disputes, social evils which greatly impact on cadres and troops’ ideology and sentiment as well as its combat training work. That has imposed new requirements on the party and political work which should be thoroughly understood to promote the effectiveness in reality.

Grasping the training resolutions and orders by the Ministry and the Military Region Commander, annually, the Division’s Party Executive Committee has issued resolutions to lead the training work. Prior to each training phase, party committees issue special resolutions clearly identifying guidelines, measures, targets, and requirements for ideology, organization and support work as well as assigning responsibility of offices and units during the process of implementation. Grounded on those resolutions, commissars, commanders and political offices at all levels have regularly, opportunely directed the party and political work in all phases and steps in accordance with the stated targets and requirements.

First, the Division’s Party Committee and Command have directed units to well conduct the work of political and ideological education to raise cadres and troops’ awareness and build up their resolve to fulfil the task. Commanders at all levels have been asked to grasp the revolutionary guidelines and mission and new thought on the Homeland protection under the Resolution of the 11^th Party Central Committee’s 8^th Plenum on “Strategy for Homeland defence in the new situation”; to observe the Military Region’s Party Committee’s Resolution 1039-NQ/ĐUQK on the improved quality of training in the 2013-2020 period and beyond. Also, they have been required to focus on rendering troops fully aware of the situation, task, advantages, difficulties, guidelines and requirements for combat training. Due attention has been paid to educating troops on combat tradition of the Military, Military Region, and Division; holding talks about combat precedents and new types of warfare; clarifying the relationship between men and weapons; well organizing the launch of training season; launching emulation movements. As a result, a sense of responsibility, activeness, proactiveness and creativity in combat training and other tasks assigned by the Ministry and the Military Region has been promoted. Besides, the work of political and ideological education has been applied to each situation and object, such training in combination with march, live fire tactical exercises, fire and explosion prevention and control drills, search and rescue operations, both main forces and reserve forces. Thus, most of cadres and troops have thoroughly understood viewpoints, principles, and associations in training and been active in observing discipline and improving their working style.

Training field supporting

To enhance the training quality, the Division has concentrated on improving its contingent of cadres’ professional competence and capability to carry out the party and political work. Over the past time, the Division’s contingent of detachment-level cadres has been supplemented; however, there is still a lack of this staff while their capability and experience in carrying out the party and political work are different. Against this backdrop, the Division’s Party Committee and Command have directed its affiliates to higher echelons to consolidate their personnel, assign responsibilities of cadres and set up standards for training. During refresher courses, the Division has focused on overcoming weaknesses, demanding that offices train units, superiors train inferiors, training cadres be associated with the improved quality of party members, and assessing cadres be based on their unit’s training process and task performance. As for graduate officers, the Division has directed its affiliates to classify capability and health as the basis for developing the training plan. Weekly, offices have assessed the results of training these cadres and drawn lessons opportunely. In addition, all-level political offices have advised commanders on cooperating with organizations and sectors in holding competitions, such as good training company, battalion, and regiment, and good party cell secretary. To raise troops’ responsibility and determination in training, cadres at all levels have encouraged troops to improve their military knowledge and needed qualities in training. Up to now, 100% of unit cadres have fulfiled the training task at their level; 50% of company and battalion cadres and 46% of platoon cadres have satisfied the criteria for a good training cadre. Most of the Division’s cadres have acquired skills to well conduct the party and political work, having scientific working style, matching their words with action, being responsible for their unit and work, gaining the prestige within their unit.

Besides, the Division has stepped up the Determination to Win Emulation Movement, closely combined it with major campaigns and patriotic movements launched by the Party, State, Military, and Military Region. Prior to each training phase, on the occasion of political events, emulation movements have all launched to encourage troops’ morale and faith, make a breakthrough in improving the training quality. Moreover, units have aligned emulation with field encouragement activities to create the vibrant atmosphere among sections and individuals. Notably, the Division’s Party Committee has directed all-level party committees to combine the emulation targets of combat training with targets set by the Campaign “promote tradition, devote talent, deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and to concretize criteria of each collective and person for the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle. After each emulation phase, the Division has required units to carry out reviews, opportunely reward, praise and multiply typical examples as well as draw lessons. To encourage collective wisdom and dynamism and creativity of each person in performing tasks, units have strictly maintained the regulations on grass-roots level democracy and the order for meetings and dialogues between commanders and staff. Those have helped create a sense of unity between superiors and inferiors, cadres and soldiers and opportunely deal with the issues arising from reality within offices and units.

Mass mobilization work during a field march

To meet the demands for improving the quality and effectiveness of the party and political work, the Division has paid due regard to inspecting and supervising this work, stepping up regularity building and discipline management, and improving troops’ material and mental life. The entire Division has strictly maintained the training order and closely managed troops and technical equipment. It has closely assigned and decentralized training management and operation, maintained discipline on the training ground and the order for command and combat readiness duties, and enhanced inspection of combat readiness work. Following the guideline “Expanded supervision, deepened inspection”, all-level party committees and organizations, commissars, commanders and mass organizations’ inspection and supervision of the party and political work have been heightened and put in order. In this regard, great value has been attached to inspecting and supervising the observance of regulations on party meeting, training principles and methods, Military Regulations and discipline, order for the party and political work as well as cadres and party members’ responsibility, working method, ethics and lifestyle. In addition to building pure, strong party organizations and promoting the role of all-level political cadres and offices, the Division has encouraged the combined strength of organizations and forces in compliance with regulations, law dissemination and education, and improvement of combat training. The Division has also enhanced animal and crop husbandry, closely managed facilities, ensured troops’ material and mental life and health. Consequently, troops’ responsibility for performing the training task has been raised while the order for training has been strictly maintained. The Division’s training items have satisfied and exceeded the targets. For many past years, the Division has always fulfilled the combat training targets and task; its Regiment 88 has been given the flag of “excellent training unit” for 7 consecutive years.

Successfully applying and employing experience in carrying out the party and political work during combat training as well as promoting the role of key cadres and political offices represent basic measures for the Division 302 to accomplish the task in the upcoming time.

Sr. Col. Thai Van Hung, Commissar of the Division