Training and combat readiness are essential to enhance the overall quality and combat strength of agencies and units in the entire Military. As for the Navy in general and Brigade 170 in particular – the core force responsible for safeguarding the national sovereignty over seas and islands, good implementation of this content is of utmost significance. Therefore, Brigade 170’s Party Committee and Command have been attaching much importance to enhancing the quality of training and combat readiness with multiple fundamental, synchronous, and appropriate measures to firmly safeguard the Northern seas and islands in all situations.

Brigade 170 (under Naval Region 1) is tasked with managing and firmly safeguarding the Northern seas and islands (from the estuary of Bac Luan River in Quang Ninh to Mui Doc in Ha Tinh), where the islands and archipelagos hold a strategic position in terms of economy, politics, national defence, security and foreign affairs. To accomplish all assigned tasks, the Brigade's party committees and commanders at all levels have thoroughly grasped and stringently perform resolutions, directives, orders, plans, and instructions of higher echelons on training; determined comprehensive and focused leadership measures that are close to situations, tasks, and targets. On that foundation, it is necessary to design rigorous and scientific training plans to ensure the contents, amount of time, progress, and proper preparatory work in all respect.

The contingent of cadres has heightened their awareness in implementing tasks; popularising principles, methods, and combinations; closely combining training with implementing tasks, especially those conducted at seas; and concentrating on improving the quality of specialised training, military-political education, the building of regularity, self-discipline and safety assurance. As a result, the quality of training, the level of management, proficiency in using weapons and technical equipment, handling of situations, and combat readiness have constantly been improved, which contribute to generating the synergy in managing and safeguarding the sovereignty of the assigned seas and islands.

Currently, the task of safeguarding the sovereignty of the seas and islands and the task of building the Military, builing the Navy, and the Naval Region become increasingly demanding. Meanwhile, the organisation and structure of the Brigade are being adjusted towards "lean, compact, and strong" direction; its weapons and technical equipment have been in used for ages and degraded; the budget allocated for the Naval Region in general and the Navy in particular is still limited; the level of cadres is not even, and some comrades have difficult family conditions, etc., which has a significant impact on training and combat readiness. Therefore, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command must pay attention to leading and directing the synchronous implementation of policies and measure to constantly improve the overall quality and combat strength of each agency and unit, especially the training quality to satisfy the task requirements in the new situation with the following main contents.

First, thoroughly grasping the resolutions, directives, and instructions of higher echelons to propose rigorous and effective leadership measures. This pivotal measure is to ensure and bring into play the leading role of party committees and commands at all levels; create a consensus on awareness and actions of cadres and soldiers during the implementation of this crucial task. Thus, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command as well as party committees and commanders at all levels must continue to deeply grasp the resolutions and directives of higher echelons on training, especially Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW issued on December 20^th, 2022 by the Central Military Commission on enhancing training quality in the 2023-2030 period and beyond as well as the resolutions of the Military Service’s and Naval Region’s Party Committee on training. Accordingly, party committees at all levels must issue thematic and periodical resolutions with accurate and creative measures to lead the task of combat training; build solidarity, trust, unity and determination. At the same time, it is imperative to improve the effectiveness of party work and political work in training; intensify political and ideological education through numerous practical contents and measures so that cadres and soldiers can be fully aware of the significance and role of training, advantages and challenges, training targets, conspiracies and tricks of combat targets, the traditions of the Brigade and the Navy soldiers, etc. Accordingly, cadres and soldiers can be equipped with motive, responsibility, and determination; confidence in the combat tactics of the Navy and the available weapons and equipment to ensure full compliance with orders and readiness to accept and accomplish all assigned tasks.

Second, concentrating on improving the qualifications of cadres to lay a foundation for enhancing the quality of training and combat readiness of the unit. This measure is essential since “Cadres are the root of all work” and they directly manage, train, and command soldiers. Thus, the Brigade must concentrate on training and fostering its contingent of cadres, particularly newly-graduated and newly-appointed ones. The training content must be across the board with relevance to the assigned positions and responsibilities; concentrate on improving the level and competence in advising, proposing, dealing with situations, and administering training, agencies and units. To ensure uniformity in training, especially between the agencies and the units, among the officers of the units, the Brigade must advocate rotating among officers to accompany ships that conduct training and patrol at seas so that each officer (especially the young ones) can get familiarised to storms and waves and improve their ability and experience in dealing with situations at seas. Simultaneously, the Brigade must promote each officer’s autonomy in self-studying and improving specialised skills, foreign languages ​​(English and Chinese), computer skills, and actively applying information technology in administering training. Additionally, the Brigade must organise and participates in contests and sports events to create favourable conditions for the cadres to exchange, learn, accumulate experience and improve their overall competencies to accomplish the task of training and combat readiness.

Third, actively renewing the training content, programmes, organisation, and methods. Thoroughly grasping directive viewpoints and the objectives and measures determined in Resolution No. 1659-NQ/QUTW on training and adhering to the motto in training entitled “Fundamental – Practical - Proficient”, the Brigade must organise the training across the board with a focus on increasing practice time, attaching importance to night training and sea manoeuvre drill. Importance must be attached to synchronous and in-depth training in accordance with actual combat, available weapons and equipment, and the trend of development; considering the management and firm protection of sovereignty over the seas and islands and the building of revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern Brigade and Naval Region as the top priority to training soldiers. It is necessary to effectively combine training with physical fitness and endurance; enhance manoeuvrability, prevention, and counter-attack in case of harsh weather conditions and enemy using high-tech weapons. Significance must be placed on the implementation of directing, managing and administering the training in a "concentrated, unified, synchronous, effective, and non-overlapping" manner with clear responsibilities for each organisation and individual; giving full play to the roles of functional agencies in advising, guiding, organising, coordinating the implementation, etc. to satisfy task requirement and accord with theatre of operation. Commanders and agencies at all levels must intensify inspection throughout the training with a focus on regular and unscheduled inspections to ensure comprehensiveness, objectivity and practicality; resolutely fight against all forms of ostentation, formality, and the pursuit of fake achievements.

Fourth, closely combining training with the building of regularity and self-discipline. These two parallel contents that have a dialectical relationship play a dispensable role in enhancing the synergy and combat strength of the Brigade. Thus, in line with the improvement of training quality, the Brigade must keep on grasping and stringently performing the resolutions, directives, and instructions of higher echelons on the building of regularity and self-discipline. The building regularity must be across the board with a focus on a breakthrough in weaknesses to create a seismic shift in the building of regularity and full compliance with discipline and law. Accordingly, the Brigade must concentrate on improving the level of regularity in training and combat readiness, especially in managing human resources, weapons and technical equipment; combining the building of regularity with full compliance with Military discipline and the State’s law; ensuring absolute safety in training. To achieve high effectiveness, the Brigade must continue the education and the building of motive, determination, and self-awareness of cadres and soldiers in performing the Regulations, charters, and directives; attach political and legal education to tackling associated responsibility of cadres at all levels. It is vital to assess situations and the results of building regularity, abiding by the law and the unit’s discipline to draw experience in leadership and direction as well as the handling of violations and maintenance of discipline; stringently maintain the regimes for living, studying, and working; intensify measure to manage all service members’ social relationship. The responsibility of holding up examples of cadres and party members to bring into full play the synergy of organisations and forces in performing regularity and discipline and managing soldiers’ ideology; promptly detecting and strictly tackling violations. Simultaneously, emphasis must be placed on actively building a culturally wholesome military environment and taking the initiative in fighting against adverse impacts and anti-cultural infiltration into the unit.

In parallel with the aforementioned measures, Brigade 170 must intensify its leadership and direction over Determination to Win Emulation movement and ensure logistic and technical work for all tasks to enhance the Brigade's overall quality and combat strength to manage and safeguard the Fatherland’s sacred sovereignty of the seas and islands.

Senior colonel LE TIEN HAU, Commander of Brigade 170