Division 309, under the 4th Military Corps, is tasked with training, combat readiness and mobility to perform other tasks. Beside favourable conditions, there are also difficulties due to the Division’s near-city station with many industrial zones and dense traffic, which is highly prone to traffic unsafety, social evils and negative impacts of the market economy on soldiers’ thoughts and emotions. In addition, the majority of the Division’s troops are at young age, having uneven qualifications, partly-limited experience, skills and knowledge about social life, and many of them come from poor family background. Under such situation, in order to successfully complete the assigned political tasks, the Division has implemented many measures, focusing on building all-strong, “exemplary and typical” agencies and units, particularly, the political and ideological education, discipline management, regularity building and safety assurance in all activities. Thereby, contributing to creating a profound change in the awareness and sense of responsibility of cadres and soldiers in observing the State Law, military discipline and regular order. In 2022 and the first 9 months of 2023, the law and discipline observance of its cadres and soldiers has seen positive changes, the Division saw no cases of serious discipline violations and unsafety in training and traffic caused by subjective errors. The Division was awarded the Emulation Flag and Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister in 2021, the Emulation Flag of the Minister of National Defence and Excellent Training Unit in 2022. The above results have contributed to building a pure, strong and typical Division Party Committee, all-strong, “exemplary and typical” agencies and units. Its overall quality and combat power have been enhanced, and the Division is ready to accept and successfully complete all assigned tasks.
To attain that achievement, along with other aspects of work, the Division focuses on synchronously implementing many solutions in education, discipline management and safety assurance, creating a strong and relatively stable change in each agency and unit. These are also experiences that need replicating and promoting in the future.
First of all, the Party Committee and Division commanders focus on strengthening leadership and direction for the tasks of regularity building, discipline training and safety assurance. The Division deeply grasps the resolutions and instructions of upper levels on this issue; particularly the Directive No. 79/CT-BQP, dated 22 July 2022 of the Ministry of National Defence on building an all-strong, “exemplary and typical” unit; Directive No. 103/CT-BQP, dated 28 November 2019 of the Ministry of National Defence on continuing to improve the discipline education and management, and safety assurance in the Vietnam People's Army; Resolution No. 696-NQ/DU, dated 21 February 2020 of the Standing Committee of the 4th Military Corps Party Committee on “Leadership to strengthen Law and discipline education and management, and safety assurance”; and Directive No. 222-CT/BTL of the Corps Commander on strengthening leadership, direction, education, management and compliance with State law, military discipline, flexible adaptation, and ensuring absolute safety. At the same time, promote the decentralised education; closely combine the basic and continuing education with the education through peak periods of discipline training, with the focus on units and tasks with high potential risks of violating military discipline and State law, etc. Thereby, it makes an important contribution to raising awareness and responsibility of cadres and soldiers for the tasks of regularity building, discipline training, and safety ensuring. During the implementation, the Division requires agencies and units to regularly innovate the content, form, and methods of propaganda and education to make it close to the tasks and each subject. Actively promote the role of the Military Council and Youth Union organisations, creating synergy and making strong changes in awareness, self-conscious compliance, and legal culture for all soldiers.
To achieve high efficiency, the Party Committee and Division commanders actively innovate and diversify educational forms and methods, discipline management and safety assurance. Accordingly, agencies and units organise political and ideological activities, such as: “Discussing measures to strictly comply with State law, military discipline, and unit regulations and ensure safety in traffic”; building an all-strong, “exemplary and typical” unit, etc. Build and effectively implement models, such as: “One law article a week” on the internal bulletin board; “The no discipline-violation Youth Union branch”, etc. At the same time, diversify law education forms through theatricalised activities; organise forums, discussions, etc. In addition, the Division directed units to promote propaganda on the internal radio system, organise competitions to learn about law and discipline, and maintain the legal bookcases activities and cultural institutions; Improve the effectiveness of Political Day and spiritual culture at the grassroots, Law Day, etc. Orderly maintain different forms, such as topic-based study, news reports, political and ideological activities, newspapers reading, radio listening, direct dialogue, soldiers' clubs; soldiers’ birthday; Culture, arts, sports, etc., These help its cadres and soldiers improve their cultural and legal knowledge, and make strong changes in awareness, thought and action. In particular, the Division has integrated the regularity building and discipline training with promoting emulation movements and campaigns, especially implementing Directive No. 05-CT/TW of the Politburo (7th tenure) “On promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and style”. In particular, focus on building soldiers with steadfast political courage and training their lifestyle and working style according to Uncle Ho's example, creating a vibrant and widespread competitive atmosphere in the unit. The evaluating, praising and rewarding are carried out comprehensively, objectively, substantively, with the right people and the right deed.
Along with the above actions, the Division attaches importance to well implementing the “5 initiatives”; Closely combine ideological work with organisational and policy work, between units and authorities, local organisations and families to grasp and manage ideology, education, discipline of soldiers and prevent evils from entering the unit. Based on each type of unit, each time, difficult and complex tasks, sensitive times, such as: combat readiness missions, live-fire training exercises, holidays, new soldiers and reserve soldiers receiving, to-be-demobilised soldiers,... party committees, commanders of agencies and units firmly grasp the ideological situation of the soldiers, to forecast and timely take leadership and direction measures to prevent complicated thoughts from arising. In addition, party committees and commanders at all levels regularly meet soldiers with difficult family and personal circumstances, soldiers with unruly personalities, behaviour, and habits once discipline violation and poor task performance. Thereby, there are specific management and educational measures suitable for each subject, contributing to stabilising ideology, creating an open, democratic, solidarity and unified atmosphere in agencies and units.
The Division Commander requires cadres from battalion level and below to “eat, live, work together and share” with soldiers to grasp and promptly handle their thoughts and aspirations. Cadre contingent must strengthens inspection and supervision, especially during holidays and breaks, focusing on small groups where there is a potential risk of incidents. The units strictly maintain the daily, weekly routines, and combat readiness duties; the no-alcohol regulation during working hours, lunch breaks, while on duty and commuting on roads, etc. Commanders at all levels strengthen measures to manage soldiers, weapons, and vehicles, especially during breaks and days off, and strictly implement the reporting regulation; Resolutely and decisively handle cases of discipline violations, ensuring strictness, not avoiding defects, covering up, or concealing shortcomings. Thanks to that, the effectiveness of education, deterrence and prevention of soldiers violating discipline has been well promoted; discipline observance of cadres and soldiers in the Division has seen many progressive changes.
To create a favourable environment for regularity building and discipline training, the Division always pays attention to improving the material and spiritual lives of cadres and soldiers; strictly implement the Regulation on Democracy at grass-roots level, harmoniously resolve the relationships between superiors and subordinates, cadres and soldiers, strengthen the solidarity among soldiers, and the consensus among agencies and units. The division regularly pays attention to building and consolidating “regular, green, clean, and beautiful” barracks, organising cultural - arts, physical training - sports, and healthy entertainment activities during breaks and days off, attracting a large number of cadres and soldiers to participate. In addition to implementing regulations and policies, the Division also publicly and democratically grants military leave, and periodic health checks for soldiers; create favourable conditions for cadres to balance the military duties and family life. Every year, the Division spends hundreds of millions VND from farming and production resources on repairing barracks facilities, creating a spacious, clean and beautiful environment, in order to improve soldiers’ spiritual life so that soldiers feel secure and dedicated to the unit. At the same time, the Division regularly reviews and classifies soldiers, pays attention to the ones with families in particularly difficult circumstances, promptly encourages, visits, and supports them to make them feel secure and stick to the unit.
Senior Colonel PHUNG THE HUNG, Division Commander