Radar Regiment 251, under the Navy’s Naval Region 2, located in an important strategic area of ​​the country, is tasked with observing, detectingd, and indicating targets at sea and in the air at low altitudes in the waters under the Region’s responsibility to contribute to firmly protecting the sovereignty of the sea, islands, and sacred continental shelf of the Fatherland. During the implementation of the task, the Regiment has been facing multiple difficulties as the subordinates station and independently operate in dispersed areas, high mountains or remote islands, etc. where conditions for working, living, and training are still limited. Besides, the qualifications and capacity of cadres and soldiers are not equal. Meanwhile, the Unit is assigned to receive, manage, train, exploit, use and gradually master new and modern equipment. In that context, the Regiment Party Committee and commanders have comprehensively implemented all aspects of work through synchronous solutions for leadership and direction. Particularly, building the comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” unit is an important content to serve as a basis and foundation for the Regiment to fulfill all assigned tasks.

First of all, importance has been attached to building a politically strong unit to improve the overall quality and combat power. Being politically strong is the first and most important criterion for each unit to fulfill its political tasks. Particularly, as the Regiment has to operate independently in dispersed areas, far from the leadership and command of superiors, in complicated conditions, etc., the good implementation of this content is of much significance. To be well aware of and build a politically strong unit, the Regiment Party Committee and commanders have regularly attached great importance to leading and directing the implementation of political education and ideological leadership; strictly organising the communication and implementation of resolutions and directives of the Party, committees, and commanders at all levels; raising awareness of cadres and soldiers about the Party's viewpoints and guidelines regarding the task of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation, the tasks of the Army, the Navy, the Region, and the Regiment in association with tasks of each division; educating cadres and soldiers on the Party's views on objects and partners and hostile forces’ plots, tricks, and ambitions in the East Sea; and closely combining grasping, education, and motivation with management, forecasting, orientation, and handling of ideological issues of the soldiers, particularly those performing small-scaled, independent, and important tasks, to prevent negative developments. Besides, the Regiment Party Committee and commanders have led and directed the building of typically clean and strong Party organisations at all levels, especially the stations in DK1 and independent radar stations. Mass organisations and military councils have functioned properly to promote the pioneering role of members in fulfilling political tasks. Agencies and units have stepped up the implementation of Conclusion No.01-KL/TW issued on May 18th, 2021 by the Politburo (the 13th Tenure) on continuing to implement the Politburo’s Directive No.05-CT/TW; the Central Military Commission Standing Committee’s Directive No.87-CT/QUTW on promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh's thoughts, ethics, and style in association with implementing the 4th Central Resolution (the 13th Tenure) on promoting the building and rectification of the Party and the political system; resolutely preventing, repelling, and strictly handling cadres and party members who have signs of degradation in political thoughts, ethics, and lifestyle and manifestations of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”; and the Drive entitled “Promoting tradition, dedicating talents, and being worthy of the title “Uncle Ho's Soldiers” - Navy Soldiers. The emulation and commendation work has closely followed tasks, while regular emulation has been closely combined with peak emulation sessions, review, summary, and building and replication of typical models and examples, etc. that has created a strong and comprehensive change in awareness and sense of responsibility, aroused national pride and self-respect, fostered the love for the sea and islands, built political bravery, and strengthened trust into the leadership of the Party, State, and Army for the cadres and soldiers to have a strong will and high determination to overcome all difficulties and hardships and be ready to accept and fulfill all assigned tasks.

Commandant of the Regiment witnesses the signing of emulation contract at the launch of 2022 training season

The Regiment has focused on improving the qualifications and combat readiness to firmly defend the sovereignty of the sea, islands, airspace, and continental shelf within the assigned scope. Being well aware of the importance of the task and thoroughly grasping the superiors’ directives and orders on combat readiness, the Regiment has regularly reviewed and consolidated its organisation and staffing and arranged professions with priority given to divisions on important duties; promptly reported to superiors to supplement forces accordingly; adjusted, supplemented, and developed combat documents, plans, and determinations, especially those for protecting the sea and islands, as prescribed, close to reality, and suitable with characteristics of the sea and islands, weapons, and equipment and the unit's combat readiness tasks; strictly maintained order and regimes of combat readiness duty at all levels; closely organised patrols and guarding to ensuring absolute safety for agencies and units, particularly on holidays, New Year, and  important events of the country, the Party, the State, and the Army; and effectively made breakthroughs in “Strictly observing and managing targets at sea and in the air in time to report to headquarters at all levels”, without omitting, missing, confusing, or being passive and unexpected. The Regiment has organised training and drills and participated in combat readiness and combat drills using simulated targets organised by superiors with high results and safety. Thereby, the level and ability to maneuver forces, observe, detect, and manage targets and handle situations have been steadily raised with high combat readiness. In addition, the Regiment has also actively cooperated with the local Public Security, Party committees, authorities, and forces in prevention and control of natural disasters, epidemics, search and rescue, etc. to maintain security and order in the area, that has been highly appreciated by all levels.

Attention to innovating and improving the quality of training has been paid by the Regiment Party Committee and commander, and it is considered an important measure to directly improve the combat readiness and combat capabilities of the Unit. Deeply grasping the resolutions, directives, and orders of the Party committees and commanders at all levels regarding the training work, particularly Resolution No.1050-NQ/QCHQ issued by the Navy Party Committee on improving the quality of training in the 2013 - 2020 period and beyond, the Regiment Party Committee has developed implementation plans with practical contents, targets, and measures. The task of protecting the sovereignty of the sea, islands, airspace, and southern continental shelf of the country and building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern regiment is considered a training target. Before training, along with development of schedules and lesson plans and approval under the hierarchy, the Regiment has promoted initiatives and improvement of training models and tools and that has been highly appreciated by Naval Region 2 and the Navy High Command. To master new and modern equipment, besides selecting cadres to send to the superiors’ training courses, the Regiment has closely organised its training and retraining courses for cadres. Regarding the independent divisions whose cadres could not participate in courses at the Headquarters, the Regiment has assigned qualified and capable instructors to directly train and foster at the grassroots. It has also focused on improving the quality of training under the motto of “Being basic, practical, and solid” for divisions managing and exploiting old weapons and equipment and made breakthroughs in “basic training, mastering, and specialising in exploiting weapons and technical equipment and safety assurance” to gradually master new and modern weapons and equipment under appropriate roadmaps. The Regiment has paid attention to field training, training rotation, and position changing for cadres and soldiers to practice and master weapons and equipment in all situations to be close to the actual battlefield conditions, existing weapons, and combat objects using high-tech weapons and closely combined technical training with tactical training to raise the level of cadres and soldiers, especially radar surveyors. The Regiment’s subordinates have strengthened training of plans for combat and target detection at sea, island, and in the air; actively conducted physical training, military command training, night training, and mobile station training in all terrain and weather conditions; promoted the role of cadres at all levels, especially the station cadres, in regularly inspecting and urging officers and soldiers to actively practice specialised techniques and tactics according to the equipment they are in charge of; and, after each the training section, organised contests and competitions to strictly evaluate the results to ensure substantive training. So far, the Regiment has completed the training program contents and time for the objects with 100% of good, excellent, and safe.

In addition, regularity building, soldier management, safety assurance, and administrative reform are identified by the Regiment as breakthroughs. As many of its divisions are stationed in scattered and complex areas, the Regiment has focused on promoting the roles and responsibilities of Party committees and commanders at all levels in regime maintenance, discipline management and training, regularity building, Army's Charter and Regulations, State's laws, and regulations of the units and localities; strengthened the management of the soldiers’ observance of the daily and weekly routines and regulations on the use of alcohol, beer, and cigarettes, especially during breaks and days off; actively deployed administrative reform in a scientific, specific manner to be close to the task requirements and save human and material resources; and consistently implemented decentralisation to handle work under authority and responsibility. The Regiment has required cadres at all levels to pay close attention to the grassroots and promote their roles and responsibilities in management and training of soldiers and actively and effectively applied information technology in operating, managing, exploiting, using, and mastering weapons and equipment. Consequently, the Regiment’s cadres and soldiers have always upheld their sense of discipline and law observance, improved the level of military etiquette, and strictly adhered to the “3-exemplary and 3-complete” motto to gradually build up a regular, exemplary, civilised, and modern unit without any soldiers violating regulations on discipline, traffic safety. The Unit has been absolutely safe for many years in a row.

Over the past 10 years of construction, development, and growth, the Regiment's cadres and soldiers have constantly strived to overcome difficulties and hardships and unite with high determination to fulfill their assigned tasks. From 2012 to 2022, the Regiment continuously won the title of Determination-to-win Unit and was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister (in 2022) and commended and presented by the Ministry of National Defence, the Navy Command, and the Naval Region 2 with many noble awards. Promoting its achievements, in the coming time, the Regiment's cadres and soldiers will continue to unite and unify to create synergy, build a comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” unit, and fulfill all the assigned tasks.

Senior Colonel TRAN VAN DAU, Regiment Commander