Air Defense Brigade 241 (under the Army Corps 4) is assigned with the tasks of training, combat readiness, and mission maneuverability. At the same time, it actively coordinates with local forces, Party committees, and authorities in maintaining political security and social order and safety in the garrison area. Acknowledging that, in recent years, the Brigade Party Committee the commanders have focused on leading and directing the implementation of training and combat readiness to serve as a basis to improve the overall quality and combat power to complete all assigned tasks. As a result, in the past 5 years, the Brigade has continuously achieved the Ministry-level “Good Training Unit” title and has been awarded several certificates of merit and Emulation flags by the Air Defense - Air Force High Command.

To obtain the above achievements, the Brigade has conducted a number of solutions synchronously and drastically, especially focusing on raising awareness and sense responsibility of cadres and soldiers on the tasks of training and combat readiness. The Brigade Party Committee and commanders have led and directed the subordinate agencies and units to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the superiors’ resolutions and directives and those of the Brigade on the work of training and combat readiness. Importance has been attached to Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW, Conclusion No.60-KL/QUTW of the Central Military Commission, and Resolution No.449-NQ/ĐQQD of the Army Corps Party Committee on “Improving the quality of training in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond”; Military and Defense Order of the Chief of the General Staff; Combat Training Order of Corps Commanding Officer; guidelines of the Army Air Defense Department; and the new operational characteristics of air defense forces in the condition that the enemy uses high-tech weapons. The subordinate agencies and units have strengthened the political and ideological education and promptly grasped, oriented, and solved ideological issues for the soldiers, especially those arising in daily life. The Determination-to-Win Emulation movement has been promoted in association with the movement of “Democracy, solidarity, intelligence, discipline, exemplary, and determination-to-win” of the units, the Drive entitled “Promoting traditions, dedicating talents, deserving to be Uncle Ho's Soldiers” in the new period, Politburo's Directive No.05-CT/TW, and Directive No.87-CT/QUTW of the Central Military Commission on promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh thought, ethics, style to create vibrant revolutionary action movement towards making “Three breakthroughs” of the units.

To improve the quality of training, the Brigade has taken the initiative in well preparing, from planning, organization and staffing stabilization, coaching and retraining of cadres, perfection of the curriculums and training plans, building and consolidation of training grounds, and renewal of training models and tools. At the same time, it has focused on coaching to raise the qualifications and training methods for trainers. Along with that, the Brigade has sent cadres to fostering and retraining courses organized by the Army Corps and the Air Defense - Air Force to unify training contents for agencies and units within the Brigade. During training, the units have thoroughly grasped and observed the guideline of “Basicness, practice, and firmness” with importance attached to comprehensive and intensive training to make it relevant to the actual combat conditions and innovation of training contents and methods and direction of rehearsals and drills.

Combat readiness practice at real ground

To meet the requirements of modern warfare, the Brigade has attached great importance to rapid maneuverability training, especially deployment and withdrawal of artilleries and ammunition to quickly leave the battlefields; improving the ability of far marching in different terrains; increasing night training, situation-based training, and aerial target capture reconnaissance; combining tactical training with maneuver plan training, combat readiness, and counter-attack combat; and applying information technology in training. The inspection and re-evaluation of the training results have been renewed by the Brigade towards an increase of unexpected inspection, and accurate, objective, and transparent of results to serve as a basis for the units to take measures for overcoming weak stages and dimensions and improve the quality of training in the coming time. The Brigade has also actively innovated to improve the quality of competitions and contests, especially the combat squad contest, to create a vibrant competitive atmosphere, contributing to improving the quality of training. As a result, the Brigade’s training results have been gradually improved and stabilized. In 2019, the satisfactory rate of test results was 100%, of which the above-average and good rate was 82.04%. Meanwhile, the training of recruits and reservists achieved good results.

Regarding combat readiness, the Brigade has actively coordinated in air defense combat with other units garrisoning in the same area to contribute to managing and protecting the airspace in charge. At the same time, it has also fulfilled the tasks of preserving political security and social order and safety and other unexpected tasks. It has focused on thoroughly grasping and effectively implementing the superiors’ documents and instructions on combat readiness, especially the Minister of Defense's Directive No.14/CL-BQP, Chief of General Staff’s Instruction No.27/CL-TM, directives, instructions of Air Defense - Air Force, and those of the Army Corps. In particular, the Brigade has regularly adjusted and promptly supplemented the system of documents and plans on combat readiness and protection of agencies and units. The rules and regime of combat readiness guard and air defense combat squad have been strictly maintained from the Brigade to sections. Along with that, the Brigade has been directed to provide sufficient troops, weapons, and ammunition as prescribed for units, with a priority put on air defense combat guard units and squads for protection of the headquarters at all levels and the garrison area. Through inspection, the results show that the units at all levels have fulfilled the assigned tasked and are capable of handling situations, including unexpected ones.

The assurance of logistics and technical support for training and combat readiness has been taken seriously by the Brigade. Regarding the logistics assurance, the Brigade has prioritized adequate and timely provision in all aspects of the task and paid attention to measures for assurance of soldiers’ life and health care to reach and exceed the set targets of healthy soldiers. To prevent and control the Covid-19, in the spirit of “fighting the epidemic like fighting the enemy”, the Brigade has educated and communicated to cadres and soldiers to raise their awareness and sense of responsibility in prevention and control of the epidemic; formulated plans and assigned tasks to sections; and prepared facilities and medical equipment to ensure the ability to receive and isolate 350 people, contributing to repelling the dangerous disease. Regarding the technical work, the Brigade has directed the subordinate agencies and units to thoroughly grasp and implement the superiors’ resolutions and directives on technical work, especially Resolution No.382-NQ/ĐUQSTW of the Central Military Committee (now the Central Military Commission) and the Technical Work Order of the Corps and promote the in-depth and substantive implementation of the Drive 50. The technical work rules and regimes, especially the registration, statistics, and management of quantity, quality and types of weapons, technical equipment, ammunition, artilleries, warehouses, and vehicles have been strictly maintained to prevent losses, fires, and explosions. Besides, the inspection, review, and classification of weapons, equipment, ammunition, and artilleries have been strengthened to promptly detect damages and degradation to take corrective and remedial measures. The Brigade has promoted internal resources to assure, proactively overcome difficulties, promote initiatives and technical improvements, and apply science and technology in renovating and increasing the service life of weapons, technical equipment, ammunition, artilleries, contributing to improving the quality of training, and combat readiness.

The above results are an important premise for the Air Defense Brigade 241 to continue promoting the tradition of “Pioneering and Determination-to-Win” to further improve the quality of training and combat readiness to ensure the safety of the Army Corps’ combat formation and defend the important targets.