In order to constantly improve the overall quality and combat strength, successfully fulfill the task of managing and firmly protecting the Central and Central Highlands airspace of the country, the 375th Air Defence Division has always focused on renewing and improving the contents and quality of training and conducting exercises with many synchronous and effective solutions.

Over the years, thoroughly grasping the resolutions, directives and orders of higher commands on improving the overall quality and combat strength of the Unit, the Party Committee and Command of the 375th Air Defence Division have paid due attention to leading and directing the improvement of the overall quality of assigned tasks; in which, training and conducting exercises are contents of special importance that are implemented seriously at each stage and recorded significant outcomes. Notably, the awareness of officers and soldiers, especially of party committees and commanding officers at all levels about the role and importance of training and drills has been improved; the exercise plans and training programs are made relevant to each subject, consistent and in accordance with regulations; collective responsibility and insights have been upheld so as to bring about a number of creative and effective solutions and good examples. The commanding and managing skills have been improved to meet the requirements and tasks. In particular, in respond to the complex development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division has proactively and flexibly adjusted the training schedules and instructing methods, ensuring safe adaptation and effective prevention and control of the pandemic. As a result, the training outcomes of the subjects and units have met the requirements, with over 80% being rated good or excellent. Under the inspections of the Ministry of National Defence and the Air Defence - Air Force Service, the Division has always had good and excellent combat teams. The Division has also recorded significant achievements in competitions and sport events held by the Service. For many consecutive years, the division has been recognised by the Service as a leading unit in performing training tasks. These are the foundation for the Division to successfully fulfill the task of conducting and participating in exercises planned by itself and the higher commands. In 2021, the Division directed the map-based command and staff drills for 03 regiments and successfully held other exercises. Up to now, 100% of its regiments and units have conducted exercises as their plans and ensured absolute safety. The exercises have improved skills of changing the status of combat readiness, mastering steps of preparation and fighting, improving the commanding skill and the adaptability to the situation of soldiers.

Strickly maintaining combat readiness regime

In the coming time, in order to further improve the quality of training and conducting exercises, the Division will focus on successfully implementing the following main contents and measures:

Firstly, strengthening the leadership and direction for the implementation of training programs and conducting exercises of Party committees and commanders at all levels. Considering that it is the most important solution, a decisive factor to improve the quality and effectiveness of training and combat drills of each agency and unit and on the basis of promoting the recorded results, in the coming time, along with the good implementation of the education program to raise awareness and responsibility for officers and soldiers, importance should be attached to requesting Party committees and commanders at all levels to firmly grasp the training’s viewpoints, goals, and guidelines of the Central Military Commission and the Party Committee of the Service. At the same time, thoroughly understand the point of view that: the training must be originated from the military guideline of the Party, under the direct leadership and direction of the Party committees, commanders, political commissars, and junior political commissars at all levels and the improvement of the quality of training is the responsibility of every organisation and individual in the Unit. Leaders and commanders at all levels should thoroughly understand their own situations and tasks to determine targets and measures that are realistic and effective. Emphasis should be placed on regularly consolidating the organisation, building a contingent of officers and instructors in association with strengthening party organisations, party committees and mass organisations; upholding the sense of responsibility, promoting the active and creative role of different units and forces; at the same time, attention should be paid to maintaining the disciplines and lessons from each stage of training and each exercise conducting. The content of the preliminary and final review should focus on reviewing and evaluating the training programs; staff work, commanding skills, the preparation of ground; fighting skills, the application of safety rules, the discipline practices, and especially the coordination of units in the divisions. It is also important to clarify limitations, and their causes, drawing lessons to be learned and proposing measures to overcome; using the results of training and conducting exercise to evaluate the mission accomplishment of the Party committees and commanders at all levels.

Secondly, renovating the management and administration mechanism, developing appropriate and effective training program and exercise plans. Basing on the senior levels’ plans and instructions, its own situation and tasks, each unit prepare its training program and guidelines for implementation, and report to commanders on the training program and instructing methodology, and measures to solve its weaknesses. Attention should be paid to the advisory work and management skills in training, building and fulfilling all training documents that are relevant to their tasks. In which, the work of commanding and managing the training should be adhered to the units’ tasks, fighting tactics and the terrain of their operating area. The commanders should be flexible in commanding, especially in coping with unexpected situations, performing special missions, promptly adjusting training time and content in conditions of extreme weather, natural disasters, or diseases.

In planning the training program, it is necessary to attach importance to the motto: innovating comprehensively and synchronously, with focal points, considering the innovation of the training program and instructing methods the breakthrough. To do that, the Division’s agencies and units should be active in coordinating in the formulation and implementation of their plans. Emphasis should be placed on encouraging democratic comments at different levels, considering it a basis to develop training plans that are relevant to each object and each unit.

Thirdly, importance should be attached to actively innovating the content and methods of training and conducting exercises. The division should focus on making breakthroughs in training to improve the capability of its officers. Training is comprehensive, but focuses on mastering new weapons and equipment, fighting tactics, especially, tactics on fighting against enemy’s air-borne assault with high-tech weapons and powerful electronic warfare. Attention should be paid to training officers and combat teams at the headquarters to make them good at both fighting independently and coordinating in the Service and combined Armed  formations. In order to meet the complex technical requirements in air defence combat training, the party committees and commanders of the units should be patient and attach importance to basic training so that soldiers can firmly master the features of weapons and equipment, be skillful in fighting tactics; strictly maintaining the process from junior to senior levels, from simple to complex situations, from individual tactics to team tactics; combining the principle and tactical training with capability building for each person and each unit. In order to improve the skills and capability to coordinate in the performance of combat missions, agencies and units should actively coordinate and synergise with each other and with friendly units aiming at improving the soldiers’ understanding of their own missions, other units missions, and the senior level’s intentions.

Actively innovating training methods in the direction of promoting the positivity and creativity of the soldiers in which the instructors orient and conclude the training contents through making appropriate problems and situations as the foundation for soldiers to discuss and come up with optimal solutions. At the same time, emphasis should be placed on improving the quality of party work and political work in training and conduction exercises; closely combining training with regularity building and discipline management; strictly complying with safety regulations. Attention should be paid to successfully holding contests and sports festivals at each level and each branch to both raise the strength of soldiers and to improve the organising skills of the Division’s functioning agencies. During the implementation, the Division orders leaders and commanders at all levels to thoroughly grasp the viewpoint of real quality in examination and evaluating training and conducting exercise; taking the mission accomplishment as a measure to evaluate the results of training and participating in exercises of each person.

Fourthly, promoting the spirit of being active, creative, and self-reliant to successfully performing the task of preparation, concentrating maximum resources on training and conducting exercises. This is an important task, contributing significantly to improving the quality of training and conducting exercises of the unit. Therefore, the party committees and commanders of agencies and units should focus on leading and directing with due attention; strictly managing and using the training budget and in accordance with regulations; mobilising resources to consolidate facilities and training grounds to well serve the training and exercises for officers and soldiers. Before the training schedule, attention should be paid to actively preparing resources, documents, diagrams, drawings, models of learning tools, exercises, lesson plans, classrooms, training ground, and equipment for training. It is necessary to effectively promote initiatives and technical improvement of training models and tools; at the same time, importance should be attached to improving the quality of logistics and technical assurance, using training resources strictly, in accordance with regulations, and limiting losses and waste, and contributing to quality improvement of training and conducting exercise of the Division. Annually, before training time, agencies and units are actively planning to ensure safety in training; proposing appropriate, specific and meticulous safety measures to each training content.

Upholding the tradition of the Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces, the 375th Air Defence Division continues to strive, make utmost efforts, and constantly improve the quality of training and conducting exercises, considering them a premise to improve the overall quality and combat power of the unit, contributing to the management and protection of the assigned airspace in all situations.

Sr. Col. DAO HONG PHUONG, Division Commander