Air Defence Brigade 673 (Corps 12), which is the main air defence unit of the first regular corps organised in the “elite, compact, strong” way towards modernity is tasked with training, combat readiness, managing and protecting the airspace and other assigned essential targets. Presently, the development of the vehicles and air-attacking methods has brought the air defence forces in general, the Brigade in particular, many high requirements and tasks. Meanwhile, the weapons and equipment of the Brigade have been out-of-date and in use for a long time; the soldiers’ awareness level is not all the same, many cadres are in poor family conditions, etc. In that reality, together with strengthening the organisation, staff, and building the comprehensively strong “exemplary, typical” unit, the Brigade Party Committee and Command have paid attention to leading and directing the breakthroughs in good training and high combat readiness.

Commander of Corps 12 checks training work of the brigade at the training field

At first, the Brigade has attentively made the fundamental and basic solutions, i.e. grasping, politically and ideologically educating and improving the awareness, responsibility for cadres and soldiers of the tasks of training and combat readiness. The features of air defence operation include the high opportunities and fast situations which require cadres and soldiers to be always in high combat readiness in serious and intense conditions significantly affecting their thought, psychology and health. Thoroughly understanding this, the Brigade Party Committee and Command have attentively grasped the tasks in new combat formations, taught soldiers about the Party’s military and defence guidelines, rules and regulations on combat readiness and airspace management, at the same time, further renovated the forms and methods of political and ideological education in the way of being “practical to reality and learners” so that soldiers could be well aware of the situations, operational subjects, plots and tricks, air combat features, especially when hi-tech weapons are used by the enemies. Noticeably, the Brigade has regularly organised fieldtrips to the real training and combat readiness in the battlefields so that soldiers could be well-prepared for the difficulties, actively cultivate and train themselves, be determined to carry out the target of “good training, high combat readiness”. Together, the Brigade has intensely held, managed and solved their soldiers’ ideological problems, especially for cadres and soldiers who are on combat duty, A2 duty, or the ones with difficult family conditions, etc.; timely solved the raising difficulties, avoided the passiveness, suddenness, “self-transformation”, “self-evolution”, and maintained the great solidarity and unity within the Brigade.

Being a ground force air defence unit with various training subjects, groups and forces, which is both training, on combat duty and doing other tasks, the Brigade has highly appreciated the all-round preparation and support for the training and combat readiness. Annually, before any training, the Brigade conducts several checks to fully hold the situation of both humans and technical equipment as the basis to adjust and strengthen the organisation and staff, comprehensively do the preparation practically to the reality; give more focus on the units which are training new soldiers, and units which are on combat duty and A2 duty. Basing on the new features and requirements of training and combat readiness, and the grasp of the leading documents and instruction from the Corps on training, the Brigade has issued directions and plans, and organised the contest of training preparation; through which, to bring into play the general power and collective intelligence to do the preparation; timely discovered the shortcomings and weaknesses for offices and units to solve and make suitable contents and programmes for cadres’ training and cultivation. To gain high effectiveness, together with attending the seniors’ training classes, the Brigade has seriously maintained the training and cultivation in echelon, carried out the motto of “training the weak, the seniors training the juniors, offices training units”, focusing on the new contents, inconclusive problems, shortcomings and weaknesses relating to organisation and methods of training, practice, correction, etc. With suitable methods, so far, the qualities of cadres of the Brigade have been significantly increased; the system of training and combat readiness documents, equipment, learning aids, training grounds have been renovated, complimented and improved in accordance with the regulations. Especially, the Brigade has made many technical initiatives which have been effectively applied into training and combat readiness such as the airspace management devices, live-firing supervision devices, 3^rd and 4^th gunners training devices, objective targeting devices for 1^st and 2^nd gunners. These are the important foundations and premises for the Brigade to improve the quality of training and combat readiness in 2024 and the following years.

The Brigade has conducted the comprehensive but in-depth training with focused contents which are close to the features and tasks of each force, suitable with the existing weapons and equipment; of which, taking the technical training as the basis, tactical training as the centre and cadre training as the core. For office commanders, the Brigade has paid attention to training and improving the operational staff and command, methods training management and methods of exercise preparation and practice. For junior cadres, the Brigade has attentively trained the professional techniques of air defence artillery and portable missiles, training organisation and methods, approval of lesson plans. For the units, the Brigade requires them to well conduct the “basic, practical, solid” motto, focus on training soldiers their individual actions; divide and practice in steps, taking practice on artillery and equipment as the key so that soldiers could be capable of dealing with any situations; until all soldiers are familiar with their individual actions could combat training of combined batteries, platoons and companies be organised. To meet the requirements of the modern wars, flexibly and effectively deal with the new air combat tricks, methods and vehicles by the enemies (including cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles), the Brigade has focused on training to improve the capabilities of observing, discovering and identifying targets for visual observation stations and scout groups using TZK glasses; enhanced the training to improve the endurance and adaptation capabilities to combat in stressed, highly-intense, constant and long conditions, by day and by night; improved the abilities of moving, transferring the battlefields, fast deploying and withdrawing gunners and equipment, and other methods of diversion and camouflage to meet the tasks of the strategic mobile Brigade. Presently, the Brigade is conducting the training of Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the low-flying aircraft shooting groups and scout groups. Together, the Brigade has attentively reformed the competitions, contests, examinations and assessment of training results in the actual way to create the emulation atmosphere and improve the training quality. Besides, the Brigade pays attention to reforming and improving the quality of military exercises at all levels, especially the live-firing combined arms, considering them as the practical solutions to improve the all-level cadres’ operational command and staff and soldiers’ tactical and technical abilities. With its right guidelines and high determination,, despite a short preparation time, at the end of 2023, the Brigade closely coordinated with other forces to successfully accomplish the task of DT-23 live-firing tactical exercise held by Corps 12.

Conducting the DT-23 live-firing exervise

To be always in high combat readiness, timely and effectively solve any situations of firmly safeguarding the assigned airspace, targets and areas, the Brigade has seriously maintained the combat readiness, closely combined the training and combat duty. On grasping and implementing all the approved combat-readiness directions, orders and plans, the Brigade has regularly strengthened the forces and vehicles rightly and suitably with each plan, ready to be moved when necessary; built and renewed the operational plans, adjusted the plans of combat readiness suitably with the real features and tasks; maintained the overhead observatories; closely coordinated with other air-force and air defence units in the localities in order to make announcements, warnings and intelligence gatherings, strictly manage the assigned airspace, timely discover the low-flying aircrafts invading from afar, and avoid the suddenness and negativeness. To improve the combat readiness skills and abilities, the Brigade has promoted the practice of regular and sudden combat readiness status transitions; actively upgraded the functions of new air-striking vehicles in order to build plans and exercises with situations close to the combat reality; standardised the process of cooperation, specific verbal commands, etc. to help soldiers skillfully solve the situations of the enemies’ airstrikes with high-tech weapons. Especially, to shorten the time of combat readiness status transition, the Brigade has made research and designs to build the model of “determined-to-win youth battlefield” with sufficient places for learning, living, dining, entertainment and sports being close to the battlefields, assuring the fast movement to combat positions and meeting the requirements of timely dealing with operational situations.

Given the task requirements in the new situation, Air Defence Brigade 673 has continuously strived to successfully accomplish the breakthrough of “good training and high combat readiness”, and regularly improve the overall quality and combat power, making contribution to building the “elite, compact and strong” Corps 12 towards modernity, firmly safeguarding the airspace of the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel PHAN TUAN CUONG, Commander of the Brigade