The 214^th Air Defence Brigade, formerly known as the 214^th Air Defence Regiment, was established on July 17, 1957. It was one of the first anti-aircraft artillery regiments of the Vietnam People's Army to be founded, mainly consisting of volunteer soldiers who fought in the resistance war against the French colonialists. After 65 years of construction, combat and growth, generations of officers and soldiers of the Brigade have overcome countless difficulties, hardships and sacrifices, made many resounding victories, continued to build and enrich its tradition. With outstanding feats and achievements in fighting, building and defending the Fatherland, the Brigade was commended the title of Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces in 1969, the Fatherland Protection Order, Third-class in 2016,  and many noble awards by the State and the Army.

Currently, the Brigade is the main anti-aircraft artillery unit of Military Region 3. Its main political tasks include training, combat readiness, and firmly defending the airspace and assigned targets. In recent years, although its troops are scatteredly based, its facilities are degraded, its weapons and technical equipment are not synchronised, its objects of management are diverse, etc., the Party Committee and commanders of the Brigade have concentrated on leading and directing the synchronous and comprehensive implementation of solutions to improve its overall quality and combat strength and achieved many important results. Notably, the brigade has been built strong in terms of politics, ideology, ethics, organisation and staff. Its internal unity is maintained. Its  training quality, level of combat readiness are increasingly improved, hence well controlling the assigned area and airspace. The work of regularity construction, discipline training, and supply work have seen many positive changes, worthy of being one of the leading flags in the MR3's emulation movement.

A live-firing exercise of the brigade

That result is attributed, firstly, to the fact that the brigade focuses on building its agencies and units politically strong as a basis for improving the overall quality and combat strength. Party committees and commanders of the brigade concentrate on leading and directing its agencies and units to well perform the work of political education, ideological orientation, and task briefing for all officers and soldiers. Educational contents are comprehensive, focusing on the Party's viewpoints and lines on military, national defence, and tasks of the Army and the brigade in the new situation; plots and tricks of "peaceful evolution" of hostile forces; the need to improve the overall quality and combat strength of the Unit to meet the requirements and tasks in the current period, etc. In order to make education work highly effective, on the one hand, the Brigade promotes the implementation of the Project "Innovating political education in Military units in the new period" with many contents, forms and measures which are practical and suitable for each objects. On the other hand, it facilitates the Determined to Win emulation movements associated with promoting the learning and following of Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality and style according to Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW of the Politburo (13^th tenure) on continuing to implement Directive No. 05-CT/TW of the Politburo (12^th tenure) and the Campaign of promoting tradition, dedicating talents, deserving "Uncle Ho's Soldiers" in the new period. Along with that, the Party Committee of the Brigade regularly consolidates and improves the leadership capacity and combat strength of Party committees and organisations at all levels; associates the building of clean and strong party organisations with the building of all-strong "exemplar and typical" unit. As a result, 100% of party organisations in the Brigade completed their tasks; in which, over 80% completed well and excellently, the Brigade Party Committee for many consecutive years was rated typically pure and strong.

Second, it focuses on improving training quality and level of combat readiness. Determining this an important content that directly contributes to improving its overall quality and combat strength, the Brigade focuses on leading and directing and proposes many breakthroughs and solutions to improve the quality of training, the level of combat readiness to avoid surprise and passivity in any situation. At the same time, it thoroughly briefs and strictly implements the above directives, orders and instructions, focusing on Conclusion No. 60-KL/QUTW, dated January 18, 2019 of the Central Military Commission on continuing to implement Resolution No. 765-NQ/QUTW on improving the quality of training in the period of 2013 - 2020 and beyond, Combat Training Order of the Commander of the MR3, “Excerpt” Order No. 2827/CL -QK3, dated October 6, 2021 of the Commander of the MR3 on handling air defence combat situations and Rule No. 375/QyT-PK, dated February 21, 2014 on the warning shot of the air defence force, etc.

Before each training season, the Brigade makes careful preparation, focusing on training and retraining to improve training quality and methods for officers at all levels, in order to overcome the weaknesses, and decide on the new contents. During the training process, the Brigade strictly adheres to the motto "basic, practical, thorough", attaches importance to synchronous and intensive training, especially for the combat crews of the headquarters, with relevance to the locality, objects of combat, organisation, personnel, equipment of the Unit and the combat art of the Air Defence Force. To meet the requirements of modern warfare, the Brigade attaches great importance to fast-moving maneuver training, night training, harsh weather training, low-flying aircraft shooting training, and tactical training and promotes the application of information technology in training and drills. Up to now, 100% of Brigade's officers are able to conduct training according to decentralised contents. 100% of annual testing results are satisfactory, in which, over 80% are rated good and excellent. Participating in competitions and sports at all levels, it achieved many high prizes. In addition, it has successfully completed the exercises, ensuring absolute safety of people, weapons and equipment.

Third, stepping up the building of a formality order, law and regulation observance. As its troops are scatteredly based, making it difficult for management, the Brigade promotes the role of party organisation, command organisations, mass organisations, and military councils at all levels in the management of its cadres, party members, union members, and well implements the Regulation on Grassroots Democracy, builds high sense of self-discipline to abide by State laws, Army discipline, and regulations of the Unit. It regularly focuses on regularity building, discipline management, building safe units; strictly maintains daily and weekly regimes, strength and activities of troops to prevent breaches of law, discipline and traffic safety. Simultaneously, it promotes the exemplary role of leading cadres at all levels, as requiring them truly be examples for junior cadres and soldiers to follow.  Notably, the Brigade requires unit-level cadres to "eat together, live together, work together, and share" with their soldiers, especially new recruits to grasp and manage their thinking, relationship, and timely solve arising problems, creating unity and unanimity in the Unit. As a result, the work of regularity building, discipline observance of the Brigade has seen many positive changes, contributing to its stability and safety.

Fourth, making sufficient and timely supply for tasks. As an anti-aircraft combat technical unit, with a system of aging, degraded and unsynchronised weapon and technical equipment, the Party Committee and commanders of the Brigade pay special attention to supplying work for tasks. Accordingly, the Brigade strictly implements the campaign "Management, exploitation of weapons and technical equipment in a good, durable, safe, economical manner and traffic safety"; maintains the daily and weekly maintenance regimes; strictly manages the quantity and quality of weapons, technical equipment to ensure absolute safety without damage, loss, fire or explosion. At the same time, it closely combines training to improve qualifications and capacity for professional technical staff with promoting research and apply of technical initiatives and improvements, meeting requirements and tasks. For logistics supply, the Brigade promotes the emulation movement entitled "Army Logistics Industry follows Uncle Ho's teachings"; actively strengthens production to improve troop’s living standards, and took care of soldier health; well implements plans for disease prevention and control, especially the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the rate of healthy troops of the brigade is always above 99%.

Upholding the tradition of the Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces, generations of officers and soldiers of the 214^th Air Defence Brigade continue to strive to further improve the overall quality, combat strength, successfully completing all tasks, worthy of being one of the leading flags of MR3 armed forces.

Senior Colonel TRUONG VAN THANH, Brigade Commander