In 2020, Ha Nam Provincial Military Command was tasked by the Military Region 3 Party Committee and High Command with building comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” units. This is a heavy task but also an honour and an opportunity for the Province's Armed Forces to further improve the quality of working in all aspects. With that perception, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command thoroughly grasped the superiors’ directives, resolutions, and instructions, issued Thematic Resolution No.971-NQ/ĐU on February 7^th, 2020 on "Building model comprehensively strong, "exemplary and typical" agencies and units within the Province's Armed Forces, and promulgated implementation plans.

During the implementation process, the Provincial Military Command chose Phu Ly City Military Command, Binh Luc District Military Command, Ly Nhan District Military Command, and Reconnaissance and Armored Company as model units. Despite several difficulties due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of working and living facilities and training grounds, while the units were in the stage of construction, renovation, upgrading, and repair of barracks, thanks to the troop’s high sense of responsibility, political determination, and synchronous and drastic solutions, the building of comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” units of the Provincial Armed Forces has achieved many positive results.

1. Building politically strong, “exemplary and typical” units

This is the most important factor that creates a foundation for the Province's Armed Forces to fulfill their assigned tasks. Therefore, the Provincial Military Command stepped up the communication, political education, and ideological leadership under the Scheme entitled “Renovating the political education work at grassroots units in the new period” in association with implementing the Determination-to-Win and the Drive entitled “Promoting traditions, dedicating talents, deserving the title “Uncle Ho's Soldiers” in the new period under various forms and measures, including combining general education with private education, thematic education,  education about traditions of the Provincial Armed Forces and Ha Nam province, etc.

Commander of the Provincial armed forces checks the special force unit

To be politically strong, "exemplary and typical", the Provincial Military Party Committee and Military Command attached great importance to consolidating and improving the leadership capacity and combat power of the Party committees and organisations at all levels, strictly complying with the democratic centralism principle, leadership regulations, and working regulations, upholding self-criticism and criticism in the spirit of the 4^th Central Resolution (12^th Tenure) in association with implementing Directive No.05-CT/TW of the Politburo (12^th Tenure), and doing well in management, education, and training of cadres and Party members, inspection, and supervision to ensure efficiency and substance. They also directed agencies and units to well prepare and successfully organise the Party Congresses at all levels and the Provincial Military Committee Congress, term 2020 - 2025, that created a positive spillover effect throughout the Party Committee.

2. Strictly observing the regulations on organisation and staffing and making a solid transformation in training and combat readiness

Based on the superiors’ decisions and directives, the Provincial Military Command promoted adjusting and consolidating the organisation and staffing towards “lean, compact, and powerful” direction. In 2020, the Province dissolved the Military School with regimes and policies thoroughly settled for the objects and reorganised Regiment 151 to meet requirements and tasks in the new period. At the same time, it reviewed and built the militia and self-defence force and mobilisation reserve force pursuant to the Militia and Self-Defence Law 2019 and the Mobilisation Reserve Force Law and attached importance to building self-defence units within foreign-invested enterprises. The citizen selection, enlistment, and military enrollment were conducted strictly as prescribed.

Improving the quality of training compared to 2019 and thoroughly overcoming the shortcomings and limitations were the targets set by the Provincial Military Command to build comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” units. To well implement such targets, the Provincial Military Command directed agencies and units to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement Resolution No.765-NQ/QUTW issued on December 20^th, 2012 by the Central Military Commission and Resolution No.280-NQ/ĐU issued on April 10^th, 2013 by Military Region 3 Party Committee on “Improving the quality of training in the 2013 - 2020 period and beyond” and focused on renewing the leadership, direction, and administration of training and renovating the contents, organisation, and methods of training at all levels. During the implementation, the Province proactively implemented training preparation, especially training and fostering of cadres, preparation of training model and tools, training grounds, etc. Notably, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Provincial Military Command flexibly directed to adjust the contents and methods of training organisation method towards dividing into small groups, limiting concentration during the time of social distancing, and practicing at an appropriate time to ensure the training contents and programs and safe and effective prevention of Covid-19 pandemic.

Regarding combat readiness, military agencies at all levels maintained strictly the regimes of duties, watch, patrol, and control to ensure the safety of the agencies and units. They also regularly supplemented and completed combat documents, plans for natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue and organised the practice of plans and scenarios to improve the level and ability of combat readiness for the soldiers. At the same time, the Public Security was proactively coordinated with in strictly implementing Decree No.03/2019/NĐ-CP of the Government and promptly advising the local Party committees and authorities to effectively handle defence and security situations.

3. Strengthening regularity building and strictly maintaining disciplines and regulations

The Provincial Military Command thoroughly and strictly implemented Directive No.103/CT-BQP issued on November 28^th, 2019 by the Ministry of National Defence on “Continuing strengthening the management and education of discipline and safety assurance within the Vietnam People's Army” in association with implementing “The Discipline Year 2020”. It strictly maintained the daily and weekly regimes, ensured the soldiers’ military dressing and manners, practiced working methods and manners, and regularly conducted military order training and legal dissemination and education for cadres and soldiers. Accordingly, the observance of law and disciplines within the Province's Armed Forces changed with the normal disciplinary violation rate falling below 0.2% without serious cases (compared to two cases in 2019).

4. Logistics and technical assurance for tasks

The Provincial Military Command attached special importance to ensuring adequate supplies of logistics and fuels for regular and irregular tasks. The barracks of the Provincial Military Command and district military town, and city military commands were newly built to ensure synchronised, regular, bright, green, clean, and scenic. The agro-production areas were planned and promoted effectiveness. It also actively carried out the emulation movement entitled “The Army Logistics follows Uncle Ho's teachings” to promote farming and production, ensure food hygiene and safety, and prevent epidemics. In 2020, the Provincial Military Command consolidated and repaired dozens of isolation facilities to serve the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control, coordinate in reception and concentrated isolation of nearly 1,500 foreign experts and Vietnamese citizens returning from other countries and 146 citizens in the province as prescribed without letting the pandemic spread. Along with that, the Provincial Military Command focused on ensuring synchronous weapons and technical equipment for the tasks; especially combat readiness, training, drills, and prevention, combat, and overcoming of the natural disaster consequences. It also well implemented the Drive entitled “Good, durable, safe and economical management and exploitation of weapons and technical equipment and traffic safety”, prevented fires and explosion and ensuring labor safety, traffic safety, and absolute unit safety.

Thanks to the synchronous and drastic implementation of the above solutions, in 2020, Ha Nam Provincial Military Command fulfilled the task of building comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” units and received the Excellent Emulation Flags awarded by the Military Region 3 Military High Command and Provincial People's Committee. This is the basis and driving force for the Province's Armed Forces to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement the resolutions of the Party congresses at all levels and fulfill the defence and military tasks in the area.

Senior Colonel LUONG VAN THANG, Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Commission, Commander of the Provincial Military Command