Chemical Brigade 86, under the Chemical Corps, is the core unit in performing the tasks of chemical assurance for operational and strategic combat, A2 mission, counterterrorism, chemical, biological, nuclear radiation, and environmental incident rescue and relief, handling of postwar toxic residues, etc. in the North.
At the end of 2019, shortly after learning about the acute pneumonia in Wuhan City, Hubei, China, the Brigade Party Committee and Commanders issued the resolution for leading the work in 2020 and defined that “improving the quality of training and combat readiness in response to chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear incidents” was a breakthrough. It was this resolution that showed the Brigade’s high political awareness and acumen in both well performing its regular and central task of training and combat readiness and getting ready for the pandemic prevention and control. After receiving the Corps Commander’s directive, the Brigade established a Steering Committee and developed a thematic resolution for performing the task of Covid-19 prevention and control. In particular, it focused on maintaining the unit stability, preparing mentality and ideology for soldiers; consolidating the organisation and payrolls of the duty squads, organising additional training on pandemic prevention and control close to the actual situation, ensuring logistics, funding, and techniques to get ready for all assigned tasks. At the same time, it recommended the Corps to hold a drill on handling the pandemic intrusion and outbreaks at the simulated international border gate.
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| Conducting disinfection at Truc Bach ward, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi |
Due to the nature and urgency in performing the "double task", the Brigade brought into full play the collective intelligence of soldiers and cadres at all levels to build scenarios, study the danger of the pandemic, adjust training content to suit the requirements of pandemic prevention and control, simulate activities, and complete additional training content and drill scenario. Thanks to promotion of democracy, careful preparation, the drill was successful and safe, and a lot of valuable experience was drawn, making cadres and soldiers more confident in performing their task.
To bring into play the initial results and experience, and foresee difficulties in training in combination with pandemic prevention and control, the Brigade has regularly researched situations and developed scenarios, adjusted and supplemented combat determination, plans, and options based on the tasks and areas; and strictly maintained the regimes of commanding duty, guard duty, patrol, and watch. At the same time, it has established three quarantine posts at three units of the Brigade to carry out body temperature checking, medical declarations, and disinfection of vehicles entering and leaving the barracks, uniformly implemented the regulations on face mask wearing within the unit in training and working, and maintained the regulations on distancing and medical declaration, especially in cases of vacation and business trips. It has also directed agencies and units to enhance leadership, inspection, and urging and promote the pioneering and exemplary role of cadres and Party members in observing mass mobilisation disciplines, commanders’ orders, safety rules and regulations, etc. in performing tasks. Agencies and units have strengthened communicating and introducing the superiors’ resolutions and directives on the task of Covid-19 prevention and control, gathered information, and promoted propagation on the nature of the pandemic, hazard level, and measures for prevention, control, and safety assurance. Thereby, soldiers have been encouraged to voluntarily take measures to prevent and control the pandemic, build determination, and promote their initiative, creativity, and courage and strive to fulfill the task well in all situations.
In training, the Brigade has focused on leading and directing to improve the management and administration quality and efficiency of commanders and agencies at all levels and promote the renovation of contents, forms of organisation, and methods of training and drills to suit with the development of the situation and tasks. Attention has been paid to improving the cadres’ commanding and administration capacity and providing in-depth technical training for specialised forces in response to chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear and environmental incidents. The Brigade has also actively rotated cadres and soldiers on duty to suit their professional qualifications and fortes and building training model crews with qualified and experienced cadres assigned to train teams and groups in charge of pandemic control, especially nurses and doctors.
For high efficiency, during training, the Brigade has divided forces into several divisions for rotation in training and taken advantage of the entire training fields, specialised classrooms ... to make soldier and unit formation spacing. It also made use of the works of the unit to simulate pandemic control and incident scenes to make training close to reality. It has also promoted the movement of promoting technical innovations applied in topographical and air surface disinfection and timely and seriously held review after each training period, drill, and task performance.
Under drastic and synchronous solutions, in 2020, the Brigade performed well its "double task". The examination results showed that 100% of the training contents met the requirements, including 75% of good and excellent, 100% of units meeting the criteria for "Excellent service specialised training unit". It fulfilled task of participating in the Coivd-19 prevention and control drill held by the Ministry of National Defence and the CKB-20 drill chaired by the Commando Corps. In particular, on March 7th, 2020 and March 28th, 2020, in a short time, the Brigade dispatched more than 100 cadres and soldiers with dozens of special vehicles to coordinate with the Military Institute of Environmental Chemistry, Military Institute of Preventive Medicine, and local authorities in regulating traffic flow, guiding people, and controlling the outbreaks in Truc Bach Ward and Bach Mai Hospital. In addition, the Brigade also actively coordinated with the local Public Security, Party committees, authorities, agencies, and units in actively propagating and mobilising people to raise awareness in protecting individual and community health and seriously observe the Government's directives on pandemic prevention and control. It carried out disinfection in a number of schools, agencies, and residential groups in the vicinity of its stationing area that was highly appreciated by the local Party committees, authorities and people. The Brigade was conferred with a Certificate of Merit by the Ministry of National Defence, and Company 66 was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Corps High Command.
From the reality of leadership and direction over the performance of the "double task", the Brigade has drawn the following experiences.
Firstly, it is necessary to have close and comprehensive leadership and direction; thoroughly communicate and educate to build soldiers’ high willpower and determination in performing tasks, especially new, difficult and dangerous ones.
Secondly, proactively forecast, properly assess the situation, and promptly adjust and supplement the tasks; promote democracy and collective intelligence in training and practice of handling situations.
Thirdly, well prepare the facilities and supplies; organise comprehensive and in-depth training and drills for each object and force, associate training with self-training, and take task completion as the highest goal.
Finally, to do well the work of inspection, review, summary, experience drawing, commendation, and rewarding, and promptly detect and correct the limitations and shortcomings; at the same time, promote and replicate typical individuals and improve the quality and capacity of task performance of each individual, division, and unit.
Senior Colonel NGUYEN HUY HUNG, Commissar of the Brigade