Air Defense Division 375, directly under Air Force and Air Defense, was founded on February 7^th, 1968 when the resistance war against the US entered the most severe period. Immediately after its creation, the division won its first battle in which it shot down a US A-6A aircraft in the airspace of Quang Binh province. Subsequently, it was assigned to defend the strategic transportation route in the South of the 4^th Military Zone and the National Highway No.1 on the Northern frontier and participated in the Air Defense Campaign at the end of December 1972, Hue – Da Nang Campaign, and the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. The division has fought over 3,600 battles, shot down 492 enemy aircraft, including 5 B-52s and 3 AC-130s. With such excellent achievements, the division has been conferred the title of the Hero of the People's Armed Forces and many other noble rewards by the State.

Entering the period of building and defending the Motherland, the division performs the tasks of training, combat readiness, and management and protection of the Central Region and the Central Highland airspaces. These airspaces have high flying frequency and complicated operations, especially on the sea side which is a sensitive area with risks of dispute over sea and island sovereignty. That context imposes the division with highly demanding and challenging requirements on performing its tasks. In order to fulfill the assigned tasks, the division’s Party Committee and commanders has led and directed the implementation of a number of undertakings and measures to improve the overall quality, level of combat readiness, and combat ability, of which combat training has been defined as a central mission.

Training combat readiness at the Missile Regiment 282 under the Air Defence Division 375 (Photo: qdnd.vn)

First of all, the division has strengthened education to enhance the awareness of officers and soldiers about the position and importance of combat training. The division has regularly highlighted and disseminated the resolutions, directives, and orders of higher levels on training and combat, focusing on Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW of the Central Military Commission, Resolution No.558-NQ/ĐU of the Party Committee of the Air Defense and Air Force on "Improving the training quality in the 2013 – 2020 period and beyond", Order No.27 and Order No.28 of the Chief of the General Staff on handling air defense combat incidents as well as sea and island defense situations or Training command of the Force’s Commander in Chief, etc. Besides, the division has educated the officers and soldiers to thoroughly grasp the requirements and tasks of the division towards the Force’s requirements on its direct modernization as well as the division’s training targets and objectives and characteristics of air defense warfare under the condition that the enemy uses high-tech weapons. Current affairs in the country, in the region and in the world and schemes and tricks of hostile forces have been regularly updated and disseminated to orient awareness and thought of soldiers.

In addition to education, the division has strengthened the leadership and direction of the Party committees, commanders, commissars, and politic officials at all levels on combat training. Annually, the Party Committee of the division issues resolutions on leading combat training, in which undertakings and measures have been clearly defined, and concrete and practical targets have been set. On the other hand, the division has also promoted the renewal of the management and administration of training. As it is located in a scattered and large area, and the tasks of training and combat readiness are performed concurrently, the division has directed the development of scientific training plans suitable for each target soldiers. The training has been gradation to clarify responsibilities of agencies and commanders at all levels in advising, administering, directing, and organizing. At the same time, the examination, inspection, and re-examination the training results have been intensified in order to make substantive assessments, promptly review and take measures to overcome the shortcomings, and resolutely fight against thoughts and expressions of embarrassment, hesitation, or satisfaction in training.

The preparation of training (including human resources, organizations, or facilities, etc.) plays an important role, directly affecting training results. Of which, the training staff is the decisive factor. Therefore, annually, before training, the division has rearranged to stabilize the organization and workforce with priority put on assurance of the strength of the units in charge of training combat readiness. Concurrently, much attention has been paid to the implementation of training and fostering for officials at all levels. The division has strictly maintained the work of training and fostering for officials in accordance with the decentralization and strengthening the inspection and supervision of the units to implement, ensuring closeness and effectiveness. In order to improve the level and methods of training for the officials at all levels, the division has required the superior officers to well organize the training of lower level cadres. Besides, it has also supplemented and made hundreds of new diagrams, drawings, models, and learning materials, consolidated and repaired training fields and rehearsal yards, and renewed the combat training exercises, taking into account the combat situation and plans etc. The division has directed its subordinates to organize contests and hold annual training start-up ceremonies, creating an emulative atmosphere from very first day of training.

As characterized by its various components and forces with different training contents and requirements, the division, during the training, has actively reformed its training organizational forms and methods with importance attached to motto "basic, practicality, solidity, safety, and cost-effectiveness". Comprehensive training has been conducted with focus and specialization, practical and suitable with combat objects, existing organizations, weapons, and technical equipment, and the requirements of modern hi-tech wars. To adapt modern war conditions, the division has directed the strengthening of the training on withdrawal, maneuver, and quick deployment of equipment and night training. Missile, radar, and anti-aircraft artillery subunits have been prioritized in training to improve their mobility to be capable of conducting independent combat operations, deploying in all conditions of topography and weather, and timely prevent and counter-attack against the enemy's air strikes with high-tech weapons. In order to achieve high efficiency, the division has required the units to organize training in accordance with the process, from easy to difficult, from simple to complex, and from segment to synthesis with gradually increased training intensity and duration and changing the time of night training. Moreover, the division has focused on organizing live fire training, ensuring adequate content and proper process. Besides, the division has actively organized arm and force coordinative exercises with live firing in combination with other local the forces.

Additionally, the division has paid much attention to the provision aspect, especially the technical supplies. At present, as most of the weapons and ammunition equipment of the division have been used for many years. They have become asynchronous, unreliable and damaged. Meanwhile, spare parts and replacement materials is scarce, affecting the training combat. To overcome this problem, the division has required its cadres, technicians, and technical staffs to raise their sense of preservation and proactively overcome difficulties, ensuring the availability of weapons and technical equipment for training and combat preparedness. Despite the lack of training training materials for new and improved equipment, the division has actively coordinated with the functional agencies of the Force and promote the role of the core training in compiling and translating materials and organize training for other components. In addition, the division has directed its functional agencies to ensure adequate and timely funding, fuel, and facilities for combat training.

Promoting its achievements, Air Defense Division 375 continues to improve the quality of combat training and fulfill all assigned tasks to firmly defend the airspaces of the country in all circumstances to deserve with the tradition of a Heroic Unit.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN VAN NHAC, Commander of Air Defense Division 375