As an operational submarine unit of the Navy, the 189^th Brigade is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons, equipment and coastal facilities. In order to successfully complete the assigned tasks, the Brigade regards improving the quality of submarine training as the central and regular political task.

With the attention of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, directly the leadership and direction of the Party Committee and Command of the Navy, submarine training in the Brigade has been deployed synchronously and effectively. Notably, it has successfully completed training, mastered and put into service all equipped boats. The crew have all firmly grasped the features, techniques, tactics, exploitation and usage of weapons and technical equipment; gradually mastered the combat plans. The Brigade has conducted hundreds of training cruises; practiced using weapons and equipment on board with absolute safety. In 2017, the Brigade successfully completed the missile launching task, affirming its mastery of all state-of-the-art weapons and equipment on board. With that achievement, the Brigade was awarded the 3^rd and 1^st Class Fatherland Protection Orders by the State in 2015 and 2020, respectively; the Leading Unit Flag of the Determined to win Emulation movement 04 times in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, the “Excellent training unit” flag 05 times and “Good physical training unit” by the Ministry of National Defence, among many other rewards.

Emergency response training at sea

In the face of the mission requirements in the new situation, in order to constantly improve the quality of training in mastering weapons and equipment, and ensure high combat readiness, the Brigade focuses on leading and directing the implementation of a number of following contents.

Firstly, building the contingent of crews with comprehensive capability, political steadfastness, strong will, and the readiness to receive and successfully complete all assigned tasks. This is the central factor that determines the Brigade’s level of task performance. As shown in practice, in order to master modern submarines, it is required that each member of the crew has not only extensive professional knowledge, thorough understanding of the specifications  of each type of weapon and technical equipment on board, but also good health and mentality to overcome severe  conditions of special environment on submarines. Therefore, the Brigade seriously implements recruitment process with high requirements on politics, ideology, fitness and intellectual level. At the same time, the Brigade thoroughly conducts political education, ideological orientation, psychological preparation to improve awareness and responsibility for crew members for assigned tasks. Sticking to the above direction and the mission of the Brigade, its agencies and units focus on briefing to raise awareness and responsibility for officers and sailors for each task. Party committees at all levels issue resolutions on training, which clearly define the contents and implementation measures relevant to the features of the unit, thereby, strengthening leadership and direction; building strong political steadfastness and determination, firm confidence in the weapons, equipment and operational art of the Navy; arousing pride, self-reliance, self-resilience, overcoming difficulties,  striving to fulfill the assigned tasks.

As operating in a narrow space, long day in the sea with high intensity of training, great deal of concentration, physical loss and close coordination, etc., submarine crews are prone to occupational diseases. Therefore, the Brigade directs its party committees and commanders at all levels to regularly pay attention to and take care of material, cultural and spiritual life of the crews, and policies regarding welfare of their families; increase investment in facilities, maintain physical training routine to ensure good health and mental state. The Brigade strives that 100% of its officers and soldiers are politically steadfast, absolutely loyal to the Party, State and People, highly combative, enthusiastic for work, and ready to accept and complete their assigned tasks.

Second, actively renewing and improving the quality of combat training, meeting the requirements of the task of protecting the country's sovereignty over seas and islands in the new situation. As a “special” unit, the results of the Brigade's task completion are of strategic significance and decisive to war situation with absolute safety in all aspects, so the use of submarines in combat must be of strategic considerations and the operation of the boat requires very smooth and exact coordination among the crews. Therefore, submarine training is a complex job, including fitness, will, skill and tactical thinking for each crew member. In order to do that, in the coming time, the Brigade will continue to stick to the training motto of “Basics - Practicality – Solidity”, and creatively apply viewpoints, principles and combinations in training; attach importance to synchronous, intensive, realistic training; strengthen training to form a sense of self-disciplining for crew members, strictly adhere to procedures to ensure safety in exploitation and use of weapons and technical equipment on board. Closely combine military training with political education, combat training with crew training; associate training with discipline management, physical training, and the improvement of bravery for crew members to meet mission requirements. Promote initiative and creativity in training; avoid passivity and achievement-driven practices to make sure that training results are substantive and comprehensive. Promote the spirit of self-study, self-training; improve foreign language skills, actively grasp the equipment on board as well as the exploitation process to protect the survival of the ship in all situations.

Besides, the Brigade actively innovates methods of holding drills in accordance with responsibilities, tasks, plans, objects of combat, theatres, its structure, weapons, technical equipment and the interoperability with forces inside and outside the Navy. At the same time, it actively researches, analyses and forecasts the situation, makes proper assessments of the operation plots and tricks of hostile forces related to the training, combat readiness and combat tasks of the Brigade; control and grasps the activities of all objects operating at sea to report to the superiors and promptly handle situations, not to be made passive or surprised. In addition, the Brigade regularly directs its agencies and units to conduct review, and actively advises and proposes to the Navy the plans to use submarines in war to protect the country’s sovereignty seas and islands.

Third, making full use of the coastal facilities in crew training and ensuring absolute safety in training. Over the past years, crew training has been identified by the Brigade as a regular task, and carried out in many stages, both at home and abroad, through practical activities on the boat and training plan at the unit's Training Centre. Wherever it is conducted, crew training is always carried out according to a closed plan of the day or of the week. On the other hand, as a “special unit” of the Military and the Navy, the Brigade is equipped with state-of-the-art coastal facilities, such as: Submarine Training Centre, Submarine Rescue Centre, etc. However, due to different reasons, these facilities haven’t been fully exploited for training. In the coming time, in order to make the most of them for crew training, party committees and commanders at all levels should develop reasonable plans for using these coastal facilities; the full run of the facilities should be conducted with considerations of their frequency, life expectancy, technical requirements and using efficiency. Combine training to improve awareness, military thinking, operational art of submarines, exploitation skills with raising responsibility in use, promoting scientific research and technical innovation and the repair of common breakdowns.

Along with crew training, ensuring safety is considered one of the most important factors in submarine training. Having this in mind, the party committees and commanders at all levels regularly disseminate and remind their soldiers to strictly observe the operating procedures and safety regulations in training; carefully check before, during and after each time operating weapons and equipment, especially during live-firing exercises. Grasping safety precautions in training and practicing is a must for all soldiers. The inspection and certification of the safety of weapons and technical equipment before training, testing and drills are paid special attention by the Brigade. Breaches of safety precautions are promptly detected, corrected, and strictly handled.

The achievements gained, together with the special attention of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Party Committee and Command of the Navy are an important premise for the 189^th Brigade to continue to improve the quality of submarine training, contributing to improving the combat readiness and combat level of the submarine force, affirming military and defence might in our defence strategy, and firmly protecting the country's sovereignty over seas and islands in the new situation.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN VAN BACH*

* - Former Commander of the 189^th Brigade, now Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff of Naval Region 4