Holding an important strategic area in the Northwest, in recent years, Military Region 2 has always focused on leading and directing its armed forces to improve the quality of training and combat readiness and fulfill all assigned tasks to contribute to protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Thoroughly grasping and realizing the Party's views and lines and resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on military and defense tasks and the protection of the Fatherland, the Military Region Party Committee and the High Command have considered training and combat readiness a central, regular task that determines the level, fighting ability, and combat power of the Military Region’s armed forces. Thereby, attention has been paid to leading and directing the comprehensive implementation of all aspects of military and defence work. Emphasis is placed on improving the quality of training, combat readiness, as a basis to improve the overall quality and combat power to meet the requirements of the task of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

In training, the Military Region Party Committee and High Command have focused on leading and directing the subordinate agencies and units to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement Conclusion No. 60-KL/QUTW issued on January 18^th, 2019 by the Central Military Commission on continuing to implement Resolution No. 765-NQ/QUTW on “Improving the quality of training in the 2013-2020 period and beyond”. At the same time, a breakthrough has been made in “improving the quality of training and combat readiness” determined by the Resolution of the Military Region's Party Congress, 2015 - 2020 term. The leadership, direction, management, and administration of training have been maintained closely, uniformly and synchronously, and training courses for cadres have been well organized. The subordinate units have always adhered to the motto of “fundamental, practicality, and firmness” with importance attached to comprehensive and intensive training and task-based technical and tactical training. Training has been closely linked to fostering, education, regularity construction, and the building of comprehensively strong units. Therefore, the quality of unit training and level of commanding organization and combat coordination of commanders and agencies at all levels have been raised. All cadres and soldiers have strong political stuff, high determination, and confidence in existing weapons and technical equipment and fighting methods.In combat work, all subordinate agencies and units have strictly maintained the regime of combat readiness guard and managed the airspace, borders, and cyberspace; organized patrols and guards to absolutely protect important targets; and promptly supplemented and adjusted combat options and plans and regularly practiced and effectively settled situations. At the same time, the local forces have been closely coordinated with to review and supplement plans for prevention and control of natural disasters, forest fires, search and rescue, etc. The drills have been innovated in contents and methods, of which the defensive area drills have been associated with tactical drills and settlement of non-traditional security issues to achieve the goals and requirements with absolute safety.

MR's commanders inspect combat readiness status of the Brigade 168

To strengthen the overall power and  meet the requirements of the task of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation, the Military Region armed forces have continued to comprehensively deploy all aspects of work, especially the breakthrough in “Improving the quality of training and combat readiness” with the following solutions:

Firstly, to strengthen the leadership and direction of the Party committees and commanders at all levels over the task of training and combat readiness. Subordinate agencies and units should consider it a regular political task and the most important factor that determines their overall quality and combat power. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen measures to improve the role, sense of responsibility, effectiveness, and efficiency of the leadership and direction over this important task. Accordingly, the Party committees, commanders, and political commissars of subordinate agencies and units should continue to thoroughly grasp the resolutions and directives of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and the Military Region on the training and combat readiness work. Attention should be paid to innovating and improving the quality and efficiency of the Party and political work in training and combat readiness, especially in political and ideological education, to raise the awareness of cadres and soldiers of the requirements on training and combat readiness enhancement, thereby clearly defining their responsibilities and proactively overcoming difficulties, building strong determination to fulfill the assigned tasks. At the same time, it is required to innovate the methods of leadership and direction and adjust and supplement contents, guidelines, and solutions for leadership in training and combat readiness to be suitable for combat objects and the development of tasks and local characteristics.

Secondly, to continue to comprehensively renovate the training work to make it relevant to the combat reality, combat objects, and local characteristics. For the direction, management, and administration of training, it is necessary to continue to innovate towards centralization, unity, synchronization, efficiency, and avoidance of overlapping. Subordinate agencies and units should coordinate closely in implementing training orders and plans and clearly defining the functions, powers, and responsibilities between the directing, managing, and operating agencies and the direct training units. Importance should be attached to innovating and improving the quality of direction and administration of campaign-level coordination maneuvers and general tactical maneuvers with partially real troops combined with firing. The Region’s agencies should strengthen the direction in researching to renew the training contents, programs, forms, and methods to ensure uniformity, comprehension, specialization, and suitability with combat objects, weapons, and technical equipment. Focus should be placed on improving the quality of squad training and innovating contents and programs towards increasing the time for practical training, night training, mobile training, situation and option-based training, training to master new weapons and equipment, search and rescue training, etc. A close incorporation should be made between military training and political education, education - training and combat training, physical training and discipline training and regularity building and implementation of “Discipline Year 2020”. At the same time, it is necessary to well perform the tasks of patrol, reconnaissance, foreign affairs, and field activities to carry out the work of mass mobilization, political base building, and new rural building, especially those in strategic and key areas, remote areas, and highland areas.

Thirdly, to regularly organize the practice of combat options and determination and improve capacities of situation researching and assessment and timely and effective settlement of situations without being passive and unexpected. Facing complicated, unpredictable movements and drastic sabotage of hostile forces, especially in cyberspace, and in combination with the rapid transformation between objects and partners, etc., subordinate agencies and units should always be proactive in training and fostering to raise their comprehensive capacities, particularly their capacity of situation anticipation and assessment, advise, and recommendation to fulfill their assigned tasks. To continue to review, supplement, and adjust combat determination in line with the operational objects and practical situations. To strengthen the practice of combat plans, building of solid defensive areas, and improvement of vigilance, and promptly settlement of situations. To actively advise the local Party committees and authorities and closely coordinate with other forces, especially the Public Security and Border Guard to well perform the task of protecting territorial sovereignty, national borders, political security, social order, and safety in the area. To well perform other tasks of crime struggling, prevention, and fighting, natural disaster prevention, search and rescue, bomb and mine clearance, explosive object disposal, etc.

Finally, to improve the quality of training and combat readiness assurance. The Military Region’s functional agencies, especially the Operational Department, Military Training Department, ect., should coordinate closely with subordinate units and localities in implementing the overall planning of shooting ranges and training fields towards standardization and unification and prioritizing combat-ready units and key areas. To ensure adequate and synchronous weapons and technical equipment for training and combat readiness. To promote investment in researching and renovating learning models and tools and training equipment towards modernity, durability, beauty, and convenience. To attach importance to promoting the application of modern technology and technical improvement innovations in training and drills. To actively research to innovate training methods using high-tech equipment and to pay more attention to material and spiritual life and ensure the health of soldiers.

Renewing and improving the quality of training is an important and urgent requirement and one of the breakthroughs defined in the Resolution of the 8^th Military Region Party Congress. Therefore, the Military Region Party Committee and High Command will focus on leading and directing the serious and effective implementation to improve the overall quality and combat power of the Military Region's armed forces to meet the requirements of the task of defending the Fatherland in the new situation.

Major General PHAM HONG CHUONG, Commander of the Military Region