Assuring the thorough communication of leadership, commanding and direction at all levels for units in the South is the main task for Signal Brigade 596. This is a regular but hard task because the Brigade is responsible for ensuring the “thorough, solid” communication for many units in a large area doing many sudden tasks in severe weather conditions. In order to well accomplish its missions, the Brigade, in the past few years, together with heightening the spirit of unity, self-reliance, resilience, overcoming difficulties, managing to better oneself, etc., has attentively installed and taken into use many kinds of new, modern and highly-technical communication equipment. Accordingly, the Brigade’s communication rate at all directions has frequently reached 99.99% (0.1% higher than the schedule) without any breach of communication regulations and unsafety. The Brigade has excellently accomplished its tasks of communication and television assurance for conferences and military exercises in the region, the governmental special-task teams and the Defence Ministry’s offices in their leadership of Covid-19 pandemic prevention in Ho Chi Minh city and other Southern provinces. The Brigade has cooperated with the signal forces in the 7^th and 9^th Military Region to assume the television, military data transmission and radio signals for 9 field hospitals; set up and make sure the communication for the military forces supporting the pandemic prevention. Especially, in 2022, the Brigade cooperated with other functional units to well assure the television and communication for the 45^th Anniversary of “The path to defeat the Pol Pot genocidal regime” by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the1st border exchange of Vietnam – Cambodia, which has been highly appreciated.

In order to gain these achievements, the Brigade’s Party Committee and Commands have led and directed the synchronous implementation of many solutions, including the special focus on the education of politics and thought, building soldiers stable political spirit, high morale and responsibility, being ready to take and well accomplish the assigned missions. The Brigade has directed offices and units to grasp and educate soldiers to well aware of the task position and roles, advantages and difficulties of the communication assurance in all military and defence activities. It has attentively educated the pride of the Brigade’s 50-year tradition of construction, combat and growth for all cadres, staffs and soldiers; closely combined the frequent education and the one of each mission; continued to promote the “studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle” connected to the implementation of the Campaign of “promoting traditions, devoting talents, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new era, Resolution No. 847-NQ/QUTW, dated 28/12/2021 by the Central Military Commission on “Promoting the quality of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, firmly preventing the individualism in the new situation”, on that basis, to orient the awareness, thought and actions; build the right attitude and motivation, the will to overcome difficulties, be eager to learn and study in order to master the process of exploitation, storing and maintenance of communication equipment. Simultaneously, the Brigade has frequently enhanced the education, the political and spiritual improvement connected with the management, training and strict maintenance of discipline, regulation of party activities and other activities of the public unions in order to timely discover, prevent and repair the wrong expressions of thought and action, keeping stability of all fields. Offices and units need to raise their education to improve the responsibility, prove the cadres’ and party members’ exemplary and pioneering roles, implement the motto of “speaking going together with doing”, be close to soldiers and actively build the internal solidarity and unity. Besides, the Brigade has regularly made concern about soldiers’ regulations and life and well applied the policies on soldiers’ families; built the healthy cultural life, encourage cadres, staffs and soldiers to closely attach to the units, be determined to well accomplish their missions.

In order to effectively and firmly maintain the communication system, the Brigade has focused on directing the implementation of the quality improvement of training, combat readiness connected to regular communication assurance. On strictly grasping and executing orders, directions and instructions from the Ministry of National Defence, the Signal Corps and other functional offices on the combat readiness, communication assurance, offices and units have actively built, adjusted and completed the document system, which meets the seniors’ demands and instruction and their reality. They have practiced and drilled the plans; seriously set up the sentry boxes at all levels and posts; highly prepared both commanders, forces and vehicles for peak days of anniversaries, holidays, Tet; correctly solved all communication problems, firmly held all situations, to ensure the transparent round-the-clock communication. Regarding the training, the Brigade has attached importance to the preparation, especially the direction for units to arrange and organise the professional title; the staff offices have built plans and scientific training schedules which are relevant to the features and task requirements; clearly defined the time, training contents and programs for each participant, at the same time, well implemented further training for professional cadres and staffs, especially the new graduates and detachment-level cadres. The Brigade has actively reinforced the learning models and tools; assigned cadres to write lesson plans and certify the lectures, implementing the regular checking regulation; actively given refresher courses for technical cadres on network knowledge and information technology, enhanced the standardisation of necessary factors to integrate into the regional communication; created situations of communication assurance and emergencies, which are suitable with equipment and situational training. The training contents focus on new issues or weak factors which need to be solved. Accordingly, the skills of exploitation and process of communication assurance situations by all cadres, staffs and soldiers of the Brigade have been clearly improved; the installation of mobile communication stations and central stations has been technically right, making sure the fast communication setup with high quality and effectively supported the important political events of the country and the Army.

In recent years, the Brigade has been equipped with lots of new and modern communication facilities and equipment; but still managed and exploited the old ones which are nonsynchronous, out of date and easy to be broken. Meanwhile, the technical cadres and staff’s professional skills have hardly caught with the technological development. In order to maintain the communication “blood vessel”, the Brigade has specially focused on the management, usage and exploitation of the communication equipment and vehicles in a safe manner. For the old equipment (which is in the store), the Brigade has directed the units to still manage, use and exploit them together with the new ones; enhanced the skills of the technical cadres and officers in maintaining, repairing and lengthening their efficiency, taking full advantage of the existing sources of old parts; strengthened the spirit of activeness and creativity in exploiting and using new and modern technical equipment, at the same time, actively cooperated with military and civilian telecommunication companies to educate and further train cadres and officers in order to gradually master the equipment and technological advances; participated in the management, information process, infrastructure exchange, making sure the regular, firm and stable communication. The Brigade has closely cooperated with other units in the Signal Corps to effectively exploit the military digital network, the whole-army computer network, making the basis for the commanding automation at all levels.

In order to increase the sustainability of the communication network, the Brigade has directed the agencies and units to strictly maintain the regulations of techniques, stores, maintenance, repairs and expiry extension of communication facilities and equipment; strengthen the Campaign of “Managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically, and ensuring traffic safety”; mobilise and encourage cadres and soldiers to be creative, apply the technical innovation in the training and communication assurance; brought into the roles of mobile technical teams and centres of technical assurance in repairing the technical issues from the distance; regularly checked the technical conditions of vehicles when giving and receiving documents and before joining the traffic. As a result, the Brigade has trained and given refresher courses on management, maintenance and repairs for technical officers in all stations, contributing to the effective exploitation of the military communication system to meet the mission requirements in all situations.

These gained results and experience taken from the above reality are considered the important basis for Brigade 596 to continue to maintain the “timely, accurate, secret and safe” communication in all situations, deserving to the tradition of the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN HONG VAN, Brigade Commander