Improving overall quality and combat strength is a weighty task and goal of all agencies and units in the Army to satisfy the task requirements of safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. The Party Committee and Command of Brigade 171 of the Naval Region 2 have been paying constant attention to leading and directing this imperative content with multiple synchronous, practical, effective measures to build momentum for task accomplishment.

Brigade 171 (Naval Region 2) is tasked with training and combat readiness; managing and safeguarding the national sovereignty and sovereign rights; participating in search and rescue, and natural disaster prevention over the seas, islands, and continental shelf in the South of Vietnam. Recent years have witnessed complicated and unpredictable situations in the East Sea and new demanding challenges. In the meantime, the Brigade’s subordinate units are dispersed and operate independently; most of the weapons, equipment, and ships have been degraded; guard duty is stringently conducted; families of cadres, staff, and soldiers are still in difficulty, etc. Being fully aware of its situations, functions, assigned tasks as well as difficulties and challenges, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Command have concentrated on leading and directing the synchronous implementation of multiple breakthrough measures to constantly improve the overall quality and combat strength to build an all-strong “exemplary and typical” Brigade and accomplish all assigned tasks.

The Brigade has determined that strengthening the political and spiritual foundation for the building of a politically strong unit is the centrepiece that defines its combined strength. Since the Brigade has to encounter and handle complicated and perilous situations, the building of firm political zeal and absolute confidence in the leadership and direction of higher echelons is of utmost significance. To that end, the Brigade has made a breakthrough in “enhancing the quality of political education for non-commissioned officers and soldiers” and “grasping, predicting, managing, and tackling ideological issues”. Simultaneously, the party work and political work in all activities, especially the leadership and direction of party committees and commands at all levels in training and combat readiness have been effectively conducted. The Brigade has also required its commanders at all levels to popularise the Party’s military-defence guidelines, particularly the viewpoints and tasks determined in the Resolution of the 4^th plenum of the Party Central Committee (10^th tenure) on “Vietnam Marine Strategy toward 2020” and the tasks of the Naval Service, the Naval Region, and Unit. Complicated situations in the East Sea and seas and islands under the Brigade’s management have been constantly informed to detect the conspiracies and tricks of hostile forces and assert the viewpoints and guidelines of the State and the Party in dealing with disputes in the seas. Accordingly, soldiers have been provided with full awareness of partnership, a sense of vigilance, and solutions to all situations in accordance with the guidelines and direction of the Naval Region and the Service.

Anti-submarine drill

In the implementation process, the Brigade has attached much importance to combining political education with internal political management and ideological orientation; accelerating the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, ethics, and manners, the Campaign of promoting tradition, devoting talents to deserve the title of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” and the Determine to Win Emulation movement with practical contents and actions. As a result, the Brigade’s cadres and soldiers have been fully aware of the situation, had a firm grasp of tasks, developed firm political zeal, and accomplished all assigned tasks. Moreover, the Brigade has paid special attention to party building so that the organisations at all levels have strictly maintained their activities to create a breakthrough in leadership. Democratic centralism has been promoted to bring into play collective intelligence and each person’s role in implementing tasks; meanwhile self -criticism and criticism have been heightened. The work of managing and training the contingent of cadres and party members which is central to leadership and maintains the unity within units has been focused to ensure the consistency and readiness to encounter all difficulties and challenges. Annually, 100% of party organisations and 90% of party members within the Brigade accomplish tasks.

To execute the tasks of “readiness and accomplishment of all assigned tasks”, the Brigade has determined to stringently maintain combat readiness, focus on renovating, and improve training quality and combat capability. On the foundation of checking, adjusting, and supplementing combat documents and plans, the Brigade has strictly maintained regular forces at key locations to train, conduct patrol, and keep track of situations without being passive. Besides, the Brigade proactively coordinated with forces to detect the conspiracies of other nations; supplemented and formulated combat plans, and plans to safeguard seas and islands to fit the evolution of situations and higher echelons’ combat plans.

The Brigade has formulated demanding goals and requirements in training in accordance with the motto of “being fundamental, practical, and intensive”, which concentrates on “basic and in-depth training in using weapons and equipment and safety precautions”; while its training objectives are to safeguard the sovereignty, seas, islands, and continental shelf of the Fatherland and build a “revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern Service. In training cadres, the Brigade has concentrated on new issues and inadequacies in organisation and methods of training specialised techniques and tactics. As for new cadres, the Brigade has required its ships to organise training under the guidance of specialised cadres. Concerning non-commissioned officers and technical personnel, the Brigade has directed comprehensive training with the focus placed on mastering and repairing engines, weapons, and equipment. As for units, the Brigade has paid much attention to tactical training for units, ships, and crews to practice tackling difficult simulated situations; strengthening night training, all combat situations, and plans to enhance coordination among forces. To attain high effectiveness, the Brigade has attached importance to renewing training methods, increasing practice time, and combining training with patrolling, managing, and protecting the sovereignty of assigned regions.

Particularly, the Brigade has required all ship commanders to master allocated weapons, equipment, and other weaponry on board and steer their ships in adverse weather conditions. Simultaneously, focus has been placed on training soldiers in using allocated weapons in combat and independent combat and joint combat when reinforced; night combat training in the air, on the sea, islands, shore, and in the sea has also been concentrated; meanwhile, combat training has been combined with disciplinary and physical training to better acclimatise to the sea environment. Due to the current complex situation of seas and islands, the Brigade has closely combined training with practice and drills in accordance with CN and BV plans and readily participated in search and rescue tasks when necessary; combined combat training with drilling for naval warfare, etc. Simultaneously, cadres (mostly young cadres) at coastal units are sent to ships of training and patrol units to improve their competence in dealing with situations. As a result, the Brigade’s capacity for command and manoeuvre has been significantly enhanced.

In order to enhance combat strength and combat readiness, the Brigade has always attached importance to logistic and technical work and accelerating the building of regular units and the maintenance of discipline. Regarding logistic work, the Brigade has concentrated on “Enhancing the quality of nurture and health care for soldiers”. Importance has been placed on crop production and animal husbandry, food processing quality, diversifying food products, reinforcing barracks, ensure nearly 99% of vigorous strength. Concerning technical work, the Brigade has strictly maintained working order, and “built regular and exemplary ships”, especially the maintenance and availability of weapons and equipment. Simultaneously, technical assurance approaches have been renewed to bring into play higher echelons’ supporting sources and self-supporting capacity. The Brigade has also deployed mobile repair teams and stations, strictly performed maintenance and storage to extend the lifecycle of weapons and equipment; enhanced self-supporting capacity in wartime and even peacetime.

In regularity building and discipline training, the Brigade has made a breakthrough in managing soldiers; strictly performed the contents of the legal education programme and maintained Law Day. The Brigade’s agencies and units have accelerated the implementation of working and acting in accordance with responsibility and regulations; made a breakthrough in “3 must-stop problems and 4 safe and exemplary duties”³ and strictly maintain the effectiveness of “Psychology and Law Consulting Team”. At the same time, the coordination with soldiers’ families and local authorities has been set up to encourage them to train and ensure full compliance with the State’s law, Military Discipline and units’ regulations, etc. to create a significant change in each agency and unit. This has led to the improvement of the overall quality and combat strength and the accomplishment of all assigned tasks to contribute to managing and safeguarding the sacred sovereignty of the seas and islands of the Fatherland.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN DINH GIANG, Commander of Brigade 171